


Sands of the Ocean

by xHaruka17x



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Alpha Dean, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Ancient Wars, Bottom Cas/Top Dean, Cecaelia Dean, Cultural Differences, Destruction of fertilized eggs, Eggpreg, Hurt Castiel, Magical Elements, Memory Loss, Mpreg, Multi, Old Love Stories, Omega Castiel, Passionate Forbidden Love, Pining, Secrets, Violence, friendships, merman cas, protective friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-08 08:27:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21232805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xHaruka17x/pseuds/xHaruka17x
Summary: Falling in love with the enemy had extreme consequences that cost Castiel everything... The forbidden love was rejected by his kin and they attacked him. However, leaving him for dead wasn't enough. They cast a spell to turn him into a land walker and take his memories of his Cecaelia lover to be lost forever... Little do they realize how dedicated the Cecaelian Warrior is to find Castiel at all costs.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my entry for the DCBB 2019!  
Huge thank you to SoloArcana and Scribo_Vivere for Beta and Alpha help!  
Massive thank you to JDragon122 for the exceptional art!!!! Complete honor working with you!!  
Hope you all enjoy the story!  
  
**~|~|~|~** indicates memories/flashbacks

**Bandon, Oregon**

He zipped up his orange parka as he looked over the ocean. The massive storm hurtling towards shore was still far out to sea. Sinister dark clouds gave sneak peeks of flashes of lightning and intensified the electricity in the cool air. He buried his toes into the damp, soft sand, eyes lost in wonder and fear. For the millionth time in the last five years, he tried to understand what it was about the ocean that haunted him. He couldn’t get close to the water. He refused to. Even with its clear blue shorelines, the sight of the grey whales dancing over the waves, and smaller marine life such as turtles, tiny squid and starfish that made it seem so peaceful and welcoming, he just _couldn’t._

There was no denying that the vast seas were breathtaking and intriguing, yet there was that eerie ever-present feeling in the back of his mind, -even though he could never remember- that there were dangerous things in those waters. His mind kept supplying him with ideas of sharks and jellyfish. He had even heard local stories of barracuda attacking fisherman and scuba divers. Yet he knew in his heart that there was so much more.

Five years ago, this tiny fishing town had fully welcomed him as one of their own. He had spent those years adrift in a haze, filled with confusion and nightmares full of things that vanished when he woke. Random flashes would hit him without warning, leaving him with migraines that left him unable to do anything except lie in the darkness of his small beach house, pondering what secrets his past held.

As the wind picked up, he closed his eyes and let the feeling of nature’s powerful energy surrounded him. There was the scent of salt and sand, and the cool water drops drifted all over him.The winds felt like a caress, as if he were being promised that there was definitely _something_ calling to him, beyond what his simple mind knew.. He felt empowered, yet still desperate to know and understand what he was so clearly missing.

He opened his cobalt blue eyes. The storm was much closer now, roaring in like a warrior’s war cry as the dark sky swept over the small , humble seaside town. There were just under three hundred people that lived there year-round, and he was the newest resident in the last decade. The waves were crashing into each other now, rogues bursting from the depths, and he had to hurry to make it back to his safe, cozy home. While he had been standing there, lost in his head for God knows how long, the thunderstorm had advanced rapidly and was threatening the town with a torrential downpour.

He grabbed his battered red canvas shoes and hurried to put them on as he reached the side of the shore road. He ran across the street and hurried down the sidewalk as rain started to fall. He made it inside just as the storm fully hit Bandon.

After he slipped into warm sweats and socks, he sat on his single bed and watched as rain splattered his windows. He closed his eyes and lie down comfortably. The only times he ever seemed able to sleep without nightmares was during rain storms.

  
  


“Alright, Jimmy, besides this cold, how are the nightmares,” Doctor Rufus Turner demanded as he sat back against the small counter, folded his arms over his chest, and looked over at his patient expectantly.

Jimmy sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. He had caught a cold standing out in the storm.. Within the small,close-knit family-like atmosphere of this town, Jimmy had been taken into the fold. They had been looking out for him ever since. His lack of memory had been a severe hindrance. The first year he had woken up, he had been like a child. He hadn’t even known how to walk, much less read or write, or anything about the world today. For some reason, the locals that had taken it upon themselves to help, nurture and rehabilitate him into becoming a functioning member of their small town. They had even given him a name: Jimmy. He would be forever grateful.

He had stayed with Rufus after the doctor had checked him out. Physically,aside from the multiple livid scars that marred his torso, Jimmy was fine.Most were clearly bites, while others were slashes and tears as if someone, or some_thing_ had tried to rip him apart. He had no recollection.

“The nightmares are the same,” he sighed in response. The only clues from his past came to him in either the nightmares or sudden, random flashbacks.

“Are they still persistent? Is it still the same thing,” the doctor asked carefully.

Jimmy frowned. All he ever remembered were tentacles, like those of an octopus. A glimpse of what could only be a shark’s jaws and then it was all…sensation? Emotions he had felt? Fear and panic while mixed with a desperation to live and then…awe? He wasn’t sure how to express it, but it fluttered into joy and contentment. It made no sense, and it was frustrating.

“Still the same,” he confessed. It was draining, knowing nothing of his past. Especially when he would get feverish for two months out of the year with no explanation as to why. His stomach would twist into knots, and he felt restless and stir crazy, as if he were craving something, and he couldn’t figure out what it was. He had discussed it, or as much of it as he could explain with the gruff doctor, but there had been no diagnosis, only a prescription for a strong sleep aid to help him sleep through the toughest times. Apparently, only he and his closest friend in town, Meg, suffered from this mysterious illness.

Rufus sighed as he sat down on the rolling metal stool and regarded the young man with a concerned frown. “I wish I could help you, son. When you washed up on the beach…” Rufus rubbed his right hand over his face and sighed. He looked into the confused wide sky blue eyes of the young man he had grown to care for as his own son. Jimmy had been unconscious and unresponsive. He had been covered in an array of angry wounds all over him in a way that Rufus, in all of his thirty five years as a medical professional, had never seen. Being the main doctor of the small seaside fishing town for most of those three decades, he had seen many fishing accidents, and some had been devastatingly deadly no matter his best efforts. However, this case with Jimmy...there was so much more to his story, and everything in the old weathered man knew it in his very bones. “Nothing else ever washes up that could help us help you figure out anything about your past. This amnesia of yours, well, maybe you are the one blocking the memories out. I don’t know, but if all it does is cause you these piercing migraines, it might be best if you focused on your life now and your future.”

Jimmy smiled sadly at the old man. Rufus was like a father to him, and he had always found his help and advice to be invaluable. Despite being a gruff and short-tempered man, when it came to Jimmy, he was a bit softer around the edges.

“I’m sure you’re right. It's been five years, and the things I see in these flashbacks are just confusing. The visions never change.I suppose I should focus on the here and now and figure out my future.” As he spoke the words, it felt like a stone had formed in his stomach, and yet it felt painfully _empty._ He frowned and placed his hand over his stomach as the chilling sensation coursed through him.

_No!_

Jimmy’s eyes went wide as the resounding ‘No’ rang through his head. It was commanding and strong and…desperate. He gasped for air as the sinking feeling spread, squeezing his chest as if he were suffocating. Rufus sprang forward and caught him just as he began to fall, and he started to seize. Jimmy couldn’t make out what the old doctor was saying, nor what was happening around him. All he could feel was cold as the voice inside of him kept screaming ‘No!’ Tears filled his eyes as he realized the voice was his own. His mind was trying to tell him not to close the door on his blank past, as if there were something important he had to get back. He was powerless to fight the harsh tremors that ran throughout his body as he thrashed about, and his mind brought him back.

**~|~|~|~**  
_The female great white shark was one of the largest he had ever seen. He swam as quickly as he could as she circled him and faked a side attack that sent his heart hammering in his chest. He had to get away, or she would eat him without a second thought. She was merely playing with him now as she gave chase. She knew he was defenseless, and all hers to enjoy. Those impossibly-sharp teeth snapped at his fleeing limbs as he tried desperately to get away from her. He didn’t want to die. He was too young. There was so much left for him to do and experience. He thought of his family. They had parted after an argument and here he was, swimming for his life. He wanted badly to see them again._

_He frantically scanned the reefs and found an opening he could squeeze into. Without a second thought, he rushed into it. It was barely a few feet deep, and he was forced to hug the cave’s far wall. The great white slammed its jaws into the small opening, making the tiny cave tremble as the opening began to crack. He watched, wide-eyed, as the ferocious beast pulled back and repeated the powerful and forceful slamming, widening the cracks. The stone and coral started to break away, allowing the shark’s great jaws to snap closer to him. Every snap was closer and closer as he cried and tried to stay as far away as he could, but he was trapped._

_The shark pulled back, and he was sure that this time when she slammed back against the crumbling sides, her next bite would be of him. He closed his eyes, refusing to see those teeth coming at him and waited…but there was nothing. He opened his eyes, and the shark was gone. He frowned, and his rapidly beating heart threatened to invade his throat as he tried to listen or feel for any movement in the water. The sudden flow of blood made his eyes go wide. Carefully, he swam towards the cave’s opening, which had been heavily damaged by the great white’s efforts, and gasped at the sight before him._

_A massive red Cecaelia Warrior was before him, its ten powerful tentacles heaving the destroyed great white as if it was a mere clown fish.It had large chunks of the shark’s ripped apart body hanging off of the hunter’s spear, while it collected the rest of the shark meat into secured hunting seaweed nets._

_His gasp brought the Cecaelia’s attention to him, and then piercing emerald eyes were boring into him. He could feel the weight of the warrior’s calculating gaze roaming his body, assessing any visible strengths or weaknesses._  
**~|~|~|~**

Jimmy opened his eyes. He closed them again, entirely drained by the flashback. Carefully, he opened his eyes again, and found himself lying in the back cot of the doctor’s personal office. Only the low light of the old man’s reading lamp on his desk was on, casting the medical office in a dim light.

“You’re awake.”  
  
He turned toward the familiar voice. His best friend stood in the doorway, illuminated by the light behind her.

“Meg,” he rasped out, his throat dry. Meg had been his best friend since he had woken on the beach those years ago.

“Hey. Rufus told me you had a pretty bad one this time.” She sat next to him and caressed his hair.

“Yeah…” He was still trying to process what he had just remembered. He had never had such a vivid memory before. All of his previous flashbacks over the last five years had only been of snapping shark jaws and tentacles, but now…now he had remembered the sensations. He had remembered actually _swimming_ erratically to get away from the beast, and he remembered that those tentacles were attached to a man’s body...there had been a spear, and the shark had been in pieces. There had been blood, and...how the hell had he been able to stay in the water that long? He must have been scuba diving...but the man…what was the word his mind had associated with the flashback? Cecaelia?

Jimmy bolted up much too quickly for his system to agree with, and his head pounded as his breakfast threatened to come up. He had a lot of thinking to do. He was too confused to ask anyone what these new things meant, but he could feel the urgency inside of him. It bordered on a desperation, this need to understand what the fuck all of that had been, and what it meant.

**End Chapter One**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **~|~|~|~** indicates memories/flashbacks

**Bandon, Oregon**

Jimmy heaved a sigh as he slid into the eucalyptus salt bath. The soaking salt was something Meg had shown him years ago, and since then on his days off, this was what he enjoyed the most. He wasn’t sure what it was about the salts, but this brand she had introduced him to was all natural. He relaxed against the backrest of his claw foot tub and rested his head, peering outside. He could see the ocean and smell the salt of the sea, the sun-baked sands, hear the waves as they broke on the shore. When he found himself here, soaking in the perfumed salt bath and gazing out at the vast view of the water through his open window while the ocean breeze moved softly through his home, he was soothed. He achieved a state of calm and a measure of peace that always eluded him while he slept. The salt in the water felt as though it were scratching him ever so lightly, as if it were polishing his skin-- which was a weird sensation, but he quite liked it.

For the last four years, this had been his ‘happy’ place, inducing tranquil moments that helped make him sleepy and just breathe. Jimmy sighed loudly. However, in the weeks since his newest memory, even his happy place was invaded with flashes of what he apparently was already supposed to know. He wanted to deny it, and say that the odd images were hallucinations, that it was merely his imagination running wild on a blank canvas. However, with every single one of those flashbacks came a whirl of feelings and sensations, and a fondness and attachment that left his head and heart feeling constantly at odds.

Since that one terrifying memory had hit him, smaller ones had followed. None had been as detailed or powerful in a frightening sense, yet they’d been powerful in a much different sense. There were two that would periodically hit him throughout the day, lasting mere seconds, yet they always left him with a sense of eagerness. He would find himself blushing every time, and it was the sight of those emerald eyes. Never any other details, only those intense,passionate eyes regarding him with adoration and _hunger_ that left him feeling flushed as butterflies danced in his stomach. The other was of a man’s smile. It was dashing, luscious lips and sharp, fang-like cuspids, yet the smile was strikingly attractive and kind Every time the memory would surface, Jimmy would catch himself smiling like a fool. The images were always singular, never whole or giving him the man’s full face, but he was certain it was one and the same.

Lately, images of the man’s lips had started to journey into much more sensual territory, and Jimmy was astonished at the feeling it would evoke in him. Those lips and that mouth would be on his, in a searing kiss that left him trembling and gasping for more.

Jimmy closed his eyes and let that memory return. It had to be a memory, there were too many sensations. The feel of those soft lips on his, the taste of salt and...mint? He wasn’t sure, but he did relish the taste. Jimmy gave himself over to the memory. He was too exhausted to fight it and the overwhelming passion that made him tingle down to his toes as the memory coalesced.

**~|~|~|~**  
_His breath heaved as his lover held him close and plunged into him. A large, strong hand curved around at the base of his neck, and he dipped his head back to kiss the plush lips that he craved. He cried out as his lover established a harsher pace, hands keeping him close, teasing and caressing as his hips worked to meet every thrust. He threw his head back as the feeling of being taken so intensely, so ardently slammed into him. His lover nuzzled at his neck._

_“Cas.” There was a voice, growling deeply in his ear. He was on fire. He was being touched everywhere, possessively caressed and massaged, as though multiple hands slid over every inch of his exposed skin._

_“Dean…” he whined, and his lover propelled him over the edge as he filled him with his own climax, and mouthed at his neck._  
**~|~|~|~**

Jimmy woke with a moan. His heart was still racing, the tingling aftereffects of orgasm still lingering in his body. Odd, as he hadn’t experienced an orgasm in years. The haze cleared from his mind as he found the evidence in the water. He jumped out, feeling raw and still numb from the feelings stirred by the... dream...the memory? He didn’t know yet.

_Dean._

Dean? Did that mean he had a lover before he washed ashore? Who was he? What did they have? Was he the one with the green eyes? The smile? The flashback had supplied him with minimal visuals, yet those lips...he was sure those were the ones he had turned to kiss, and that those were the ones mouthing his shoulder and neck. Where was ‘Dean’? Was he looking for him?

A sudden fierce, sharp pain of longing struck him to his core. Tears filled his eyes as he leaned forward on the vanity.

_Cas._

Was that his own name? Tears slid down his cheeks as his mind slammed shut as a wave of dizziness struck causing him to stumble backward and hit the wall between his bath and sink. He slid down, cradling his head as the memories fought against an invisible barrier to make themselves known. Helpless in the throes of it all, Jimmy blacked out.

**######**

Jimmy came to lying stiff on his hardwood floor. Slowly his eyes began to focus, and he saw he was mere inches from his clawfoot tub. He frowned and closed his eyes once more to try and temper the headache that was pounding at his temples like war drums. He tried to concentrate on the memories that had assaulted him, but his mind wouldn’t appease him. Instead, that flashback had brought all the ones from last week forward again. The one with the tentacles…the red tentacles were swirling in front of his eyelids.

What did it mean? Was that what had attacked him? No…that didn’t feel right. If anything, the thought of them was oddly soothing, as if they would protect him. It was so strange, and it made no sense. Something was happening. He knew it; he felt it in his bones, but couldn't begin to fathom putting it all into words. What had changed? Why was his mind suddenly fighting so hard to revive memories that had been dormant for so long? Something had set it off, but what? Whatever the hell it was, it had awakened his libido as well. That had been completely unexpected, and too real to have been imagined.

Ever so slowly, Jimmy sat up. Accompanying his thundering headache was now a piercing high-pitched sound that brought tears to his eyes as he covered his ears with his hands. It was deafening and threatened to blow his ear drums, yet he _knew_, instinctively, that it was some kind of call.

He felt, rather than heard, rushed steps on his wooden floor, and then Meg was there kneeling before him. She was talking to him, but he couldn’t hear her. She pulled him up, making his stomach lurch painfully as she shoved him into the small standing shower and turned the cold water on him. Jimmy cried out at the jolt of the cold water hitting his tacky salt-covered skin, yet the ringing abruptly stopped and his headache quickly subsided. He managed to stand on his own shaking legs after a moment, and felt Meg move away.

“I’ll make you some tea,” she informed him, and left him to get himself cleaned up.

Jimmy took a deep breath and centered himself. This was too much, all at once, and he didn’t understand any of it. He got himself together, stepped out, and wrapped himself in a long fluffy bathrobe. He was still a bit unsteady in his footing, but he managed. As he emptied the tub, he watched the reminder of his latest memory swirl down the drain. A sickening feeling made his stomach plummet.

“Jimmy?” He turned, and Meg stood behind him with two steaming cups of his favorite tea. At that exact moment, he was filled with gratitude that she was part of his life. She was a sarcastic woman, yet also bluntly truthful. He wasn’t sure what exactly had endeared him to her, but he was thankful to have her as his best friend. She never judged, and she never pushed or made him feel that he was as crazy as he felt. She was grounding, and he knew he depended on her, but he couldn’t quite stop himself. “I think you should lay down, or at least stay in bed. Whatever that was, you aren’t alright enough to go anywhere.”

He could do nothing but nod, not sure if his voice would properly convey anything he hoped to say, and settled for shuffling himself towards his bed. Once he was settled, she handed him his cup, and they drank together silently. She sat next to him, and leaned against the headboard as they both watched the ocean’s waves roll in with its soothing ‘whooshing’ sounds. One could easily fall into a deep sleep.

“I think I had a lover…before,” Jimmy managed, after some time. The tea was soothing, with the perfect drop of rich honey that added wonderful flavor to the peach and ginger black tea.

“Welcome to our playing field!” Meg teased, as she tried to lighten the heaviness that had crept in. Meg was married to Joanna Harvelle. Jo and her mother Ellen ran and owned the dock restaurant, as well as the fishery next to it. They had given Jimmy his job as a seafood processor. It wasn’t a luxurious job, but he didn’t mind its routine and order. He was extremely thankful to the Harvelles. Jo was friendly and accepting of him. The tasks of gutting, butchering or filleting fresh fish, crabs and shellfish to have them ready for the restaurant or to ship out was something he could do without issue. He found the repetitive functions oddly soothing. He had quickly grown immune to the scents. “I’ve never seen you interested in anyone since I’ve known you,” she added carefully.

He nodded in understanding. He hadn’t felt attraction to anyone, and had thought he simply didn’t possess such feelings or reactions…until now. Perhaps this simply meant he was a loyal lover, and that his body and mind only craved whomever had enchanted his heart? He didn’t know.

“His name is Dean…I heard myself say it in the memory this morning.” He wasn’t going to tell her the details. He didn’t feel as if he could. They were intimate and still much too fresh in his mind. His body suddenly started to tingle as if soothing hands were stroking him, and Jimmy closed his eyes as a strong sea wind came through the window and caressed his face in sync to the strange yet welcoming sensations.

“That his name?” Meg asked him carefully. He nodded as he turned and looked at her. Her features drew into a worried frown as she looked over him, and he smiled sadly at her. “This is why I found you on the floor? You had another flashback? Seemed like a pretty heavy one.”

“Yeah, just glimpses of images and sensations. His voice, our mixed moans.” Jimmy’s cheeks pinked at the mention, but he knew she wouldn’t push. He felt Meg smirk at him as he looked away.

The sudden urge to retrieve his small chest from the side table prompted him to fetch it quickly. It was quaint, and the size of a small jewelry box. He had found it in their small town’s only antique shop. He opened it on his lap and revealed his handful of treasures four small pink pearls. He felt Meg watching him as he ran his fingertips over them, almost in a lovingly. This was another puzzle to him. Why pink pearls, the real and very rare ones, brought him such a feeling of happiness he could neither explain nor comprehend. He had found them all in oysters, and had asked the Harvelles if he could keep them.

“Do you remember anything about this lover,” Meg inquired, after some time.

“Unearthly green eyes, and a charming smile with soft lips,” he replied automatically, which surprised them both as he jolted in shock and stared ahead wide-eyed.

Meg snorted next to him as she laid her head on his shoulder. “Sounds dreamy, Jimmy.”

Jimmy smiled quietly as the sound of ‘Dean’s’ voice whispered in his mind. “Cas.”

**End Chapter Two**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **~|~|~|~** indicates memories/flashbacks

**Bandon, Oregon**

Jimmy didn’t enjoy being in the restaurant, or any other establishment that offered certain things that made him ill on sight or smell, which was strange considering what he did for a living. It wasn’t any different now, as he sat at the far end of the bar drinking tea. Meg had asked him to come in just for a little while, maybe change his surroundings instead of being hidden away in his home every day after work. Her wife, Jo, was tending to the bar tonight, and Meg wanted to keep her company as well.

One of the waiters came from the kitchens and brought the man seated across the bar from Jimmy a massive pile of calamari. Bile rose in his throat. He closed his eyes and turned away. Meg was busy helping her wife and he needed to leave, or at the very least, step outside and away from the dish that turned his stomach. Anything octopi-wise made him feel ill at the thought of eating it. He slid off the stool and walked out onto the docks.

It was a cool, breezy evening. The stars shone as the waves curled into the low tide, caressing the beach. Jimmy stood against the wooden railing and tilted his head up closing his eyes and taking in the ocean spray that swirled in from the northern winds. He took off his battered canvas shoes, zipped up the parka Meg hated because of its loud color, and made his way down the wooden steps. He reached the beach and sank his toes into the soft sand.

He had no particular destination in mind as he slowly wandered towards the shore and headed east. Jimmy slipped his right hand into the pocket of his parka and rolled the one pink pearl he had fished out of his treasure chest earlier. His mind had been calm and quiet since the intimate memory. He still wondered what it meant, all of it. Why were those tiny and unexplainable glimpses of his mind’s eye so important for him to know? It had been five years since he washed up on the beach with nothing else, no inkling of who he was or what had happened to him.

Meg, Rufus and the Harvelles had been key in helping him rehabilitate himself. He hadn’t even known how to walk or how to eat, Cars scared him and television, computers or any type of technology left him perplexed. He felt that the phrase ‘fish out of water’ applied to him. Rufus had voiced it once and had explained it meant that it felt like he didn’t belong, that he didn’t ‘fit’, and that was exactly how Jimmy still felt after so many years. The years had passed in the blink of an eye, too quickly for him to process, and perhaps that was why he felt so much more afraid now.

In the last few weeks his flashbacks had evolved. Now they came with fierce sensations that left him reeling and desperate to understand. and He remembered smells and tastes, feelings and emotions bombarding him like a dam threatening to break. Since the intimate memory with ‘Dean’, he had been plagued with new flashbacks and other recollections. He hadn’t told Meg. He knew she was worried, but she couldn’t help him any more than she already had. His ‘condition’ had kept her at his side too often when she had other obligations, like her own wife. Jo was always nice and friendly, yet Meg had mentioned their arguments and he understood. He didn’t want to be at odds with Jo, he liked her. Meg was wild about her, and they were sickeningly adorable together.

Jimmy sat on the dry, cool sand and watched the unassuming and deceptively misleading sea before him. It was vast and breathtakingly beautiful, even in the darkness with the night sky laid over it. The crescent moon hung brilliantly above, giving the calm waters a luminescent air that practically sparkled. It was alluring and attractive, yet even as he was overcome with longing, every part of him refused to go any closer than where he was.

**~|~|~|~**  
_He was thrilled. He was downright euphoric. He whirled about in circles as his joyous gasp swirled around him. Dean would return soon, and he would show him their two miracles. He couldn’t bring himself to stop caressing them. They were stunning and unusual with their slightly rust colored shells, but they were theirs. It had been a painful and frightening delivery, but their eggs were strong._  
** ~|~|~|~**

Jimmy rubbed his face. This had been one of the most confusing flashbacks. However, the _emotions_ in this too-short glimpse had left him gasping as his eyes filled with tears of sheer joy. The euphoric delight he felt gave him a pulsing and resounding ring inside, and were still sensations he couldn’t dream of putting into words. Yet, all he could truly take away from it was that Dean had been a thought, and then something about _eggs._

Several weeks prior, he had watched as a giant sea turtle had dragged herself to a mostly-secluded section of beach near his home, and had, over the course of several hours, dug her nest and laid her eggs. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he found himself fiercely protective of that little nondescript square of sand. He had braved the internet to find out about turtle nesting habits, and as the days drew on, he became almost giddy with anticipation.

One morning, as he walked the beach, he noticed a disturbance where the turtle had nested. Little puffs of sand were being thrown aside as hundreds of tiny flippers dug their way towards the surface. Despite knowing better, Jimmy dashed over and carefully scooped the sand away. Hundreds of tiny eyes oriented towards the horizon behind him, and the baby turtles began scrambling out of the nest. Jimmy was torn. On one hand, he knew better than to disturb the hatch-lings. On the other hand, he couldn’t bear the idea of even one baby not making it to the ocean. Once again, he completely abandoned common sense and began gathering as many of the tiny reptiles into his arms as he could. Then he dashed to the water and gently lowered them into the sea. He made several trips, not leaving a single baby to fend for itself. When he was finished, he sat next to the now empty nest. Inside were the broken shells of the turtles he had been guarding for weeks. An intense wave of anguish swept over him as he regarded the empty nest with its broken shells. Hesitantly, he reached out a finger and gently touched one of the shells. He felt as though something had been ripped from him, and he burst into tears in the sand. He awoke hours later, arms wrapped around his stomach, dried tears on his face and sand in his hair. He had no explanation for his reaction.

He had had a similar reaction for the first time about three years ago. Meg had commented on it, and as he thought about it, and though it didn’t fully make sense to him, he felt as if it were somehow connected to this most recent flashback.

It had happened when he had been visiting Rufus at his clinic. There had been a young couple in love, and the woman was a few months along with their first child. Absently, Jimmy had hugged his arms around his waist as a piercing sensation of barrenness seized him. Desolation reigned in his mind as tears swelled in his eyes, and he couldn’t look away from the young mother-to-be. Meg had asked him if he was alright. He hadn’t even realized that he had spoken out loud, and she replied to him that it was alright that he didn’t remember,that they would figure it out.

Since then, it had happened a few more times over the years whenever he would see pregnant women. Those feelings and that action filled him automatically. He was just more aware of it now. Yet now, with this latest confusing flashback,he didn’t know what to think.

“Heya, Jim.”

Jimmy turned and looked up to find Benny Lafitte. The broad man was one of the best local fishermen. His sky blue eyes were always twinkling, and he had an easy way about him that made Jimmy feel at ease. Benny was the kind of fishermen that took all precautions, loved the mother sea, and respected her creatures. He never fished for sport or kept anything except what he was fishing for. He had told Jimmy stories of whales, turtles and even sharks getting caught in his nets, and details of how he went above and beyond to free them.

“Hello, Benny. How are you?”

“I’m good, enjoying the nice night. Mind if I sit?”

“Of course, sure.”

Benny sank down next to him and took a sip of his flask, and then shook it as he smirked at him. “Water. Cutting back on the alcohol. I ain’t that young no more,” he explained in a huffed laugh.

“How was the catch today?” Jimmy had learned about as much about social cues as he could with the few interactions he had. Yet he found it was important to be respectful and inquisitive if welcomed.

“Was alright,” Benny started, but was interrupted by a beeping sound. He lifted a finger, indicating he needed a moment as he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket. Jimmy still didn’t completely understand the dependency people seemed to have on them. Benny suddenly erupted in a burst of laughter that jolted Jimmy. “My niece sends me these video things. I, um, I love marine animals, and she sends me these videos sometimes.”

“That’s sweet,” Jimmy supplied with a smile.

“Yeah. Hey, do you like octopuses?” The question made Jimmy’s heart race.

“Sure,” he replied, as he tried to calm his drumming heart.

“Great; look at this video. It’s from a security camera at a marine zoo. You see that one tank here?” Benny pointed to one of the two tanks that were across a pathway from each other as he angled his phone for Jimmy to watch.

“Yes.”

“Ok, so the fish in this tank have been disappearing, and the guards and people that run the place don’t know how. So they placed this camera here to find out. Now, the tank on the other side of the room is an octopus. Watch the video.” Benny handed him the phone.

Jimmy took it carefully and started to watch. There was a caption at the bottom of the video that was stating what Benny had just said, and as the video continued, he could see something happening where the octopus’ aquarium was. Jimmy’s eyes went wide. He watched as the octopus effortlessly escaped its confinement and made it across the floor, slipped into the tank where the fish had been starting to disappear, and collected himself a few snacks. He would then rush back down and across the floor into his tank just as the security guard wandered in. The caption at the bottom explained that the extremely clever octopus had memorized the guards’ schedules, and proceeded to get himself a snack every night. Jimmy laughed as he handed the phone back to Benny.

“Right? Sneaky bastards! They are damn smart and cunning. A buddy of mine had pissed one off once; can’t remember why, but the octopus had let my buddy’s whole day’s worth of catch back into the water. That little fucker had _waited_ for somebody to see him before he jumped back into the water. He almost lost his mind; that was thousands of dollars lost.” Benny laughed and it was contagious. Jimmy could picture it, and it was hilarious--and the exact distraction he had needed.

**###**

Meg watched as Jimmy laughed with Benny. “How’s the puzzle?” Jo asked gently, as she came to stand next to her on the restaurant’s dock.

“I’m worried. I know he’s not telling me everything, and I respect that, but-”

“Look, you told me you know that he’s like you, and you said you were sure he was even the same subgenre and not just the same species. You agreed he was exiled, just like you--” Jo started, only for Meg to turn towards her.

“I have no doubt he and I are the same, and yeah, he was definitely exiled, but we aren’t from the same clan. The memory loss is ...something that was done to him. It's not natural. Even the doctor agrees that it’s a unique form of amnesia. Plus, the scars.” Meg rubbed at her arm. Her own banishment hadn’t been without a physical scar, yet it was nothing compared to what Jimmy had clearly suffered.

Jo reached out and took her forearm, where a jagged scar was hidden by her sweater, and brought her hand to her lips to kiss it as she looked at her troubled wife. “I’m sorry,” Jo whispered against her hand. Meg smiled and wrapped her around her lover. “He’s lucky to have you. You only had me,” Jo tried to tease, and Meg nuzzled her neck.

“You are all I need. I’m pretty sure that's been obvious for quite some time now. You’re kinda stuck with me.” Meg would never admit any of it out loud, but having Jo’s love, her support and her acceptance from the moment they had met had sealed her fate.

“Talk to me. I know I can’t understand everything, but I’m here. Don’t shut me out, ever, about him. I want to help,” Jo pleaded, as her dark-haired wife nodded.

Meg could feel it. Something was going to happen, something involving Jimmy. The air was filled with too many warnings in the last few weeks, since the day in Rufus’ clinic when Jimmy had that massive intrusion on his mind. He was constantly fighting between his mind and his heart. She couldn’t begin to comprehend such a constant desperate, desolate feeling. She looked at Jo, who was her beautiful, feisty and loving companion; her lover, her heart, and the one that regarded her with nothing but strength and devotion. She had been one hell of a lucky female. Yet how could she even explain to her about her troubles, when she herself wasn’t sure what to make of her _feelings?_ Every time she looked over the ocean and thought of this beau Jimmy apparently had before he washed up, the eerie feeling of her hairs standing on end overtook her.

“I don’t know how to explain it, Jo. I just know that something is coming, and I’m afraid it won’t be something good,” she voiced, as Jo looked at her with a frown. Whatever was coming, Meg would have her by her side.

**End Chapter Three**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **~|~|~|~** indicates memories/flashbacks

**50 Miles from Bandon, Oregon**

“Dean…”

The elder brother turned around and glared at his brother. “I’m not having this conversation again, Sam,” Dean growled out as he continued on north.

“Dean, look. It's been five human years, three in the Cecaelia senescence, and-” Sam still pushed as he followed.

Dean sighed and closed his eyes in irritation. He knew damn well how long he had been searching, refusing to give up on finding his mate. He _knew_ within the essence of his being that Castiel was alive, and he wasn’t going to stop looking for him. His beautiful merman was his everything: his reason for breathing, for hunting: for thriving. Even though they hadn’t been together long, Dean’s purpose as a Cecaelian Warrior- all of the training, every trial, every war, he had triumphed in over the millennia-had all brought him to the moment he had met Castiel. He was at home, loved, adored and needed by his Omega mate, and different species be damned, Castiel was where Dean was meant to be. He would troll every beach the human world held in the hopes of finding him.

He knew instinctively that the Omega wouldn’t go into the larger cities, but would prefer the proximity of the beach. Castiel had always preferred more intimate surroundings when it came to interacting, and from the tiny bit of information he was going on for his search, he was pretty sure it still applied.

Dean was restless. The tingling under his glamoured skin was feeling particularly itchy with every step north he took. He could feel he was close. He knew it in his heart. This impending anticipation, like a throbbing hum that spaced out from the ocean floor to the tip of the hair on his head, was telling him he was finally, _finally_ going in the right direction. Cas was this way. He was close enough for their bond to vibrate. Even though it was faint, he felt the tendrils of his lover, a silent song caught in the winds of the sea. It lured him.

Sam didn’t understand. His brother wasn’t mated, and didn’t know how it had felt to have his heart ripped out of his chest when he found their nest destroyed and the remains that were left behind. Just knowing Castiel was alive was all he needed to make his decision to come to shore and brave the human world to find him.

“You volunteered to come with me, Sam! You wanted to fill your curiosity of the world of the land! I’m not stopping you from going home, at any time,” Dean called out over his shoulder as he continued forward. He scented the air, letting the mother sea guide him as the curling winds of the north brought a cooling breeze to caress his skin.

“I’m not leaving you. I want to find him, too, and actually meet him. I’m just frustrated and worried. Karen said the Elders are still waging war against the Merfolk of Castiel's clan. Dad is trying to get Henry and Rowena to wait on your return so you can take your revenge,” Sam supplied, as he made to catch up to his brother.

Karen was a giant sea turtle, and the Cecaelia Elder Counsel’s official messenger. Regardless of her title, she was a highly respected member of the Cecaelia clan, dependable and truthful.

War. Revenge. No matter how calm Dean was trying to keep himself, he was Cecaelia, and as a warrior, the rage always danced just under the surface of his skin. Even with their Cecaelian Sorceress’s glamour magic, he had a hard time keeping his true form from taking over when he was annoyed enough. Castiel had tempered that part of him, the part that made him the sea monster he was and thrived on. Castiel tamed his fighting beast into a mere nurse shark with those soulful blue eyes, and that smile that made all of Dean’s tentacles vibrate with sheer adoration.

Yet what Castiel’s kin had done was unforgivable. Dean clutched the old, yet hard-wearing seaweed haversack that held his only traces of his mate.

The alarm on his ‘watch’ beeped. He still didn’t understand why it was even called a ‘watch’, but it was useful for this one thing at least.

“I have to go in. I feel too restless. I need to go hurt something. Maybe I can find a Mako shark or maybe a barracuda that feels like fighting,” Dean growled out as he started towards the water while he removed his clothes.

“Don’t forget to--” Sam tried to remind him, but Dean waved him off as he walked into the water in his ‘underwear’. Again, a pointless human garment.

“Yeah, yeah, take off the under stuff in the water,” he mumbled out, as he threw them back behind him to lay in the dry sand with the rest of his clothes as Sam sat down.

Dean dove into the ocean and welcomed the cool currents that rushed across his body as his true form emerged. His skin thickened ,his tentacles grew out from the human appendages called ‘legs’, and his body hulked to his normal bulk as he stretched his every limb and took in the pleasures of being in the water. His tentacles gave him an extremely rapid swimming speed he took pride in, and he reveled in its freeing feeling. He surged forward into the deep blue depths and roared, releasing his pent up rage and frustration at being unable to find Castiel after so long. Two full mating seasons had passed, and both had left him enraged and dangerous, as he was unable to copulate with his intended. His howl echoed in the vast sea, and creatures dispersed at high speeds to get away from him. He blasted forward on his powerful tentacles and went looking for a hunt. His mind swirled with the memories of his lover when they had first met.

**~|~|~|~**  
_Dean could smell her. Hungry and annoyed, the vibrations in the water told him she was occupied. Something had caught her attention, which gave Dean the perfect opening to slaughter her._

_Other Cecaelia Warriors had reported seeing her near their borders, and Dean felt the need for a fulfilling kill. Her meat would sustain him quite well for a few days. He could use her teeth to craft new tools, and her fins to exchange at the Cecaelian vend._

_He maneuvered around the massive coral and rock formations, and found her violently trying to force herself into a small cave opening. Dean smirked. Whatever was in there, she wanted it between her jaws. He took a moment to appreciate her size. As far as great whites were concerned, she was one of the largest Dean had ever come across. Her body was covered in battle scars. She had come about victorious every time, but she would not this time._

_The great white female drifted backwards, readying for another attempt at ramming forward to break off more of the rock’s opening, when Dean moved in lightning fast. He plunged his halberd through her side just as he used six of his powerful tentacles to wrap around both ends, then compressed his limbs and pulled. Dean could smell her panic, and taste her fear seeping out of her skin as his suckers embedded themselves in her body. She couldn’t fight him any longer. He sliced through her with his halberd and yanked her apart. Blood clouded the water around him. He spun his staff to clear it away, and was collecting her remains into his hunting sack when he felt the water shift, then heard a gasp from his left._

_He turned to look at the cave cove the shark had been adamant about getting into, and what he saw shocked him. A Merfolk._

_Dean studied the face that looking back at him. Wide crystal blue eyes, a plush pink mouth, and slightly pointed ears with short dark hair accented an elegant neck. Dean let his eyes roam over the creature’s form. It was a small male, and from the design of the multi- hued blue scales that hid his stomach, an Omega. The merman gazed curiously at Dean beneath his thick black lashes, innocent, pretty...beautiful, truly._

_“I won’t hurt you. You can come out.”_

_Slowly, the Omega swam forward, shyly swirling his tail as he stayed a considerate distance from him. Dean smirked. The Omega was smart._

_“My name is Dean. Doesn’t look like the shark nicked you anywhere.”_

_“No, it didn’t...my name is Castiel.”_

_They silently stared at each other for some time. The Cecaelia hungrily took in the full view of the Omega. He was stunning. Lean and strong, with a powerful tail that held every hue of blue Dean could ever conceive of. The sunlight above made it shine, as if jewels were embedded in every scale. His eyes, however, kept his attention. They were intense, and pulled him in as a predator entices its prey to focus on them before capturing it. Dean smirked at his thoughts as his heart thundered in his chest. He was infatuated. His tentacles vibrated at the thought of touching…_

_“You are quite far from your borders. I’m not sure which clan you are from, but you are in Cecaelian waters, little Omega,” Dean teased, and smirked as the Merman arched a brow. He could tell Castiel hadn’t liked being referred to as ‘little,’ and it was adorable. “I’d be honored if you’d let me see you to your clan's waters. I wouldn’t want a beautiful Omega like you to be bothered by any other sinister creatures.”_

_“And I will be safe with a Cecaelian Warrior?” Oh yes, Dean very much liked the Omega. He smelled like sun-heated coastal coral, and he found it intoxicating._

_“I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight if I didn’t see you safely home. However, I wouldn’t want to impose my own desires on such a pure creature. I am a monster, after all,” the Cecaelia voiced as he gave his most charming smile and allowed his tone to dip a bit lower than needed. The effect was immediate. The Merman fluttered and blushed. Dean smiled. The Omega was indeed receptive to him, as well as welcoming._

_“I would like to be safe on my way home,” Castiel purred. He gave him a shy smile as he spun around and started towards his clan’s borders. Dean watched him swim ahead, and hummed in appreciation whenever the Merman would swirl around to see if he was following._

_They danced easily around each other as they slowly made their way towards Castiel’s clan. Dean would tease him and let the tips of his tentacles brush lightly against Castiel’s tail fins while they continued their game between shy and intrigued smiles. Castiel moved gracefully,his effortless movements breathtaking as he moved through the waters. It was quite unlike Dean’s gliding disturbance of the water around him, propelled forward by his tentacles. Dean was completely enthralled._

_They arrived at the borders all too soon.. Dean was sure to stay alert in case any Merfolk Sentries came by, yet his focus was solely on Castiel._

_The Omega came to a halt before him, and Dean took the opportunity to take him all in, to eagerly memorize all of this gorgeous creature to remember him whenever he could in the future._

_“Thank you, Dean, for saving me and seeing me home safely.” Castiel beamed at him, and Dean was done for. That full, magnificent smile aimed at him had his heart leaping. He had never felt such a way for an Omega, of any kind, and it was frightening how quickly it consumed him._

_“The honor was all mine,” the Cecaelia replied, as he bowed slightly in a grand gesture. When he looked at the Omega again, he was closer. Dean made sure to keep all of his quaking limbs on their best behavior._

_“Will I see you again” Castiel asked suddenly, which pleasantly surprised him._

_“Would you like to” Dean wondered carefully, and was once again amazed as the Omega moved forward and kissed his cheek before he moved away._

_“Very much so, yes,” the Omega replied, as his cheeks tinted pink at his bold actions._

_Dean smiled like a fool._  
**~|~|~|~**

The Cecaelia surged on through the waters, letting the salt cycle through his gills as he closed his eyes and took the solace of being where he belonged for what it was. He couldn’t find anything to hunt. His roar and energy had no doubt terrified any other marine animals, and they avoided him in an attempt at self-preservation . Dean turned back towards the shore. He and Sam only needed to submerge themselves for ten minutes for the magic to ‘recharge’, or however Rowena had explained it.

Even after so many senescences, Cecaelian and human-wise, he was still in awe of the powerful magic. The Sorceress had attempted to explain it to him, but Dean didn’t fully grasp her explanation. However, he did understand that her magic allowed him to appear human and walk and breathe on land. The ‘watch’ she had given them helped to remind them that at every hundredth hour designated by the ‘watch’, he and Sam had to submerge to recharge the magic in order for it to continue working properly. Dean wasn’t sure what would happen if they didn’t, but he didn't want to find out. Rowena had been abundantly clear that if they pushed the designated timing, the results could be disastrous.

As he came closer to the shore, Dean took a moment to rub himself into the sand dunes that started to rise towards the beaches. He buried himself and stretched his limbs, his tentacles trembling with need for it. The magic confined his true form, and it was extremely uncomfortable when he neared the hundredth hour. He wiggled around in the sand, loving how the rough grains rubbed and took care of any itches and polished his garnet-red tentacles.

He stayed still for a moment as another memory of his lover played across his mind.

**~|~|~|~**  
_“You’re staring at me,” Dean teased, as he caught Castiel eyeing him shyly._

_“I am. You are very interesting,” the Omega mused. They had been having discreet rendezvous for the last two moon cycles. They were always careful not to attract unwanted attention as they swam to their meeting place, the coral next to where the great white had destroyed the small cave._

_Dean kept himself respectful whenever they would meet. As much as he longed to touch the Omega and simply caress his pretty face, he remained a well-behaved Cecaelia. They spent their too-short time together conversing, each learning about the other's culture, as well as their families and friends. The Alpha had found it adorable that the Merfolk loved any shiny and rare things they found across the vast oceans, while his own kin preferred the hunting trades. Castiel’s clan followed the laws and ritual paths of their ancestors, such as their sense of family pride, courting rituals, and sense of duty in their community working as one. All things were shared, and they mated for life. The Omegas tended to all the eggs and offspring, raised in a communal form of parenting which Dean found truly odd. His own kin were a bit selfish, he supposed. When a Cecaelia mated, they mated for life, and having offspring was a two-parent job and a privilege to the Alpha and Omega._

_Dean turned to face the Omega. He was stunning, his blue tail a beacon of shining cerulean hues that made the Alpha’s own rufous coloring a dark contrast that made him smile. Castiel’s dark hair reflected strands of blue in them, and his eyes shone brightly, like crystals filled with profound curiosity. Dean very much enjoyed them on him, watching him so intently._

_“I think you are the one that’s interesting,” Dean started, as he came a bit closer and raised one of his smaller tentacles towards Castiel’s face carefully, watching as the Omega’s eyes traced its every movement, even as they kept flickering up to Dean’s own. “And beautiful,” the Alpha added, as he dared to caress Castiel’s face gently with his tentacle, his tiny suckers leaving lingering kisses upon the merman’s cheek._

_Castiel’s eyes went wide for a shocked moment, and then he blushed furiously both at the compliment and physical attention. To Dean’s surprise, the Omega brought his left webbed hand up over the tentacle against his cheek, and petted it before he smirked and nuzzled into it._

_Dean’s heart sped and thundered in his chest. His body vibrated with sheer happiness that the gorgeous Omega was receptive to his advances._

_“You think I’m beautiful” Castiel asked gently, as he took Dean’s tentacle and started to explore it. Dean bit his lip as the Omega caressed and turned over his limb to study its suckers, and touched them with an amused smile._

_“I think you are the most stunning creature I have ever laid eyes on,” Dean replied truthfully. He had to believe that all of these secret meetings between them meant Castiel was as interested as he was. At least, he hoped so, and took the fact that the Omega found him ‘interesting’ as a positive sign._

_Those wide sky blue eyes looked up at him then, filled with so much awed joy that accompanied the Omega’s adorable blush. Dean smiled at him appreciatively._

_“Do you…do Cecaelia have courting rituals” Castiel voiced, his tone timid yet hopeful as he gazed at Dean through his black lashes._

_Dean glided slightly closer and took Castiel’s hands in his, marveling at the fact that both had webbed hands. However, his had slight slits in between that allowed him to spread his fingers more easily than the merman._

_“We do. May I court you, Castiel?” Dean had asked carefully, as Castiel curled his fingers into his and smiled up at him. It was a nose-wrinkling, full smile that lit up his eyes, and Dean was completely done for._

_“Yes, Alpha. You may court me.”_  
**~|~|~|~**

**End Chapter Four**


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **~|~|~|~** indicates memories/flashbacks

**Cecaelia Territory, Deep Sea**

“Is this prudent? Dean may be one of our best Hunters, and it is his right to avenge the slaughter, but shouldn’t we wait upon his return? It is his right, his war, and we as Cecaelia may only interfere if he wishes it,” Henry, one of the Elder Cecaelian Council, and one of the oldest Alphas in their clan, voiced as the council convened for a meeting.

Their steadfast messenger Karen was keeping them up-to-date on Dean’s progress, on which his younger sibling Sam had insisted on accompanying him.

“No, it is not ‘prudent’, yet we cannot ignore the Merfolk’s involvement in the slaughter. It was from ancient fear, hurt pride that was still raw after all this time, and that sea puffer fish needed another reason to attack us!” Rowena growled. The Cecaelia Omega was even older than Henry, and their clan’s Sorceress. She was powerful and resourceful, fought fiercely for their kin, and had no tolerance for Alphas with wounded pride.

Silence filled the coral chamber as the other Elders, Bobby, John and Mary hummed in understanding. It had been three senescences,three mating cycles,since the Elders’ favorite Warrior had gone to find his Omega. The injustice of what had occurred still rattled them all. While interspecies mating was not generally encouraged, and some of the Elders had not been pleased that one of their strongest and most ferocious Cecaelian Warriors had announced his mating with an Omega of the Merfolk, they had all accepted it. Dean’s joy was infectious as he spoke about courting this Omega, proclaiming his love for this ‘Castiel’ to them, and hoped they would honor him and welcome him. None of the five Elder Cecaelias had been able to reject his happiness, and had set out to welcome the Merman into their fold.

The history between the Cecaelia clan and that of the Merfolk clans had been a disastrous one. War had raged between them over lies, forbidden love, and murder. Many lives had been lost over the years. The Merfolk had nearly been eradicated, having no chance against the warrior-monsters of the ocean, the Cecaelia. Hundreds had perished, and the Merfolk had been split into two clans, the northern and the western kin.

“From the information I have been able to collect from my contacts, the order was carried out by the Elder Zachariah,” Karen informed them, as she glided towards the side perch to settle herself upon it.

Before anyone could reply, the water’s currents alerted them to an unannounced presence as a senior Cecaelia Omega drifted towards the center of the council's room. Her name was Lorraine. She, too, was a victim of Merfolk Zachariah.

“He killed my son. Killed him because his intended fell in love with him,” she voiced weakly, as her moray eel swirled carefully among her weak tentacles, helping her to navigate.

Rowena closed her eyes and sighed as John and Bobby shared a concerned look. Henry and Mary kept their focus on Lorraine.

“I deserve justice as well,” Lorraine added, a deep frown on her face.

The whole war had centered around her son, Asa. Asa had been a fine Cecaelia Warrior , and a great hunter. He had been one of the first Cecaelia in recent recorded history to fall in love out of species. He fell in love with an Omega, a Mermaid named Anna. Anna had been of the western Merfolk clan. What the Cecaelia’s community had not known until it was too late, was that Anna had been meant to mate an Alpha Merman named Zachariah.

The stories twisted from there. Some believed that Asa had kidnapped Anna, while others depicted a story of forbidden love where Asa and Anna had planned to run away, since neither kin had been welcoming to the interspecies union. War erupted, Anna had been killed in the midst of it all, and Asa had been accused of her murder. Before the Cecaelia could intervene, the Merfolk had killed Asa in an ambush. The war was assured, yet Zachariah had never been found. The war ended when it became clear that it was senseless, as the Merfolk sent out young and inexperienced sentries that could barely hold their spears. Cecaelia were indeed monsters of the deep sea, but not heartless ones. The war had ended as abruptly as it had started.

Ever since, for the Merfolk, any and all interactions with the Cecaelia were forbidden. The Merfolk sentry were ordered to kill Cecaelia on sight No small feat since Cecaelia were aggressive and powerful creatures. They were considered just as dangerous and forbidden as humans. Any display of favoritism or careless disobedience would result in the Mermaid being exiled, if not killed, for treason.  
Now the cycle had come full circle, only this time with Dean and his chosen mate, Castiel.

“I agree with you, Lorraine, but we must be smart about this. I suggest once Dean returns, and he _will,_ we will construct a very specific mission to destroy those responsible. Zachariah will meet his demise, fret not. Any other Merfolk directly involved with the slaughter of Dean’s offspring--” Rowena started, as Bobby interrupted her.

“So we’ll be taking on the punishment for what they’ve done to their own? We have no right,” he growled out, and Rowena swam towards him. Her eyes glowed an eerie amethyst,invoking her powers.

“No, what they do to their own is not our predicament. We, as Cecaelia, will only punish for the murder of the wee ones that never had a chance. Dean will be the one to decide if he chooses to hold the Merfolk responsible for their treatment of _his_ mate. Then, and only then, will we set upon them.”

“Agreed,” Bobby nodded, as John and Henry voiced their agreements.

“Karen confirmed that Zachariah ordered the destruction of the eggs. Dean confirmed that there had been two. You suggest we bring him to justice, wonderful. However, he is most likely also the one that had ordered the exile and attempted murder of Dean’s mate. I vote we await his return, so he can decide what to do, as well as exact his rightful vengeance to its full potential. I want him to rip apart that filth of a Merman Zachariah piece by miserable piece, to avenge his offspring as well as his mate, and in the process avenge Asa as well,” Mary stated, her voice a cool, chilling tone that spoke volumes of her hatred for the Merfolk.

Her mate John, grasped her hand in his. “I agree with Mary. Our son deserves to release his rage in the form of punishment to the Alpha that has attempted to destroy his mate and kin,” he growled out.

Rowena smirked as her power simmered beneath her vibrant crimson tentacles.

**Northern Merfolk Territory, Deep Sea**

Gabriel was tending to his duties. He tried desperately to act as if nothing was wrong as he went through the motions of his daily routine. His mind was constantly on his baby brother, Castiel. He knew he had survived, his fast acting and a friend’s assistance had made sure that he had. However, beyond that, he had no idea where Castiel was and if he was all right, or if his mate had found him.

Gabriel was a small Omega, with a shimmering sandstone colored tail and large, mischievous honey-colored eyes. He had hatched two full mating cycles prior to Castiel, but the two of them had always been close. Castiel was just as adventurous as he was, and the two had always played in the sand dunes and pretended to be human pirates as they went exploring shipwrecks together. They had swam from sharks in a burst of rushed fins, had inadvertently angered tiny blue-ringed octopus and were squirted with ink, and both had loved to go hunting for their favorite food, shrimp. They shared their fun when they would go looking for shiny things, and compared their finds and sometimes traded between them. As they grew older, they would both enjoyed the duties of caretakers in their community’s creche.

Castiel loved tending to the eggs. They were beautiful, so many different colors and textures,and the blue Omega had loved cradling them and singing to them. Castiel had a beautiful melodic voice. Many Merfolk loved it as well, and would come near the creche to enjoy listening to him sing to the little ones in their shells.

He missed Castiel. Gabriel wondered if there had been anything he could have done to change that day his brother had run off and met _Dean_. The sandstone Omega remembered how Castiel had been arguing with their older siblings Luc, Raphael, and Michael. They had wanted Castiel to take part in the mating season, being that he was of prime mating age, yet Castiel had expressed that he didn’t find any of the Alphas in their clan ‘acceptable’. That choice word had resulted in many ill feelings towards Castiel from the clan’s Alphas. Castiel was considered quite the catch. He had a beautiful, vividly colored tail, was spirited and had many talents, and was a natural nurturer. Voicing his disinterest in any of the available Alphas had damaged his reputation. Gabriel had witnessed him more times than not, rebuffing hopeful Alphas and their advances. Then Castiel had taken off after their siblings had threatened Castiel with their heated words.

The blue Omega had disappeared for some time. Gabriel had been frightened until he had returned unscathed, yet right away he had known something was different about Castiel. He started to disappear at odd times, telling Gabriel he was going to go treasure hunting, or go get shrimp, yet he no longer let Gabriel accompany him. He remembered Castiel coming home smiling and vibrating with happiness, but it had only served to worry Gabriel. Then without warning, his brother had stayed away for a full mating season. Three moon cycles after mating season, the Elder Merfolk, Alphas Zachariah and Hester, and Omegas Charles and Naomi, had sent out sentries to find Castiel.

Gabriel would never forget the day the sentry had returned with Castiel.

**~|~|~|~**  
_“Please, stop! Stop this!” Castiel cried, as he struggled against the two Alpha Sentries that held him firmly as they dragged him before the Elders Council. Surrounding Merfolk watched on, confused at the commotion. Gabriel swam forward and saw the massive mating bite on his brother’s neck.it clearly wasn’t from a Menfolk. Tears streamed down Castiel’s face as he pleaded and pushed against the Sentries that restrained him with the human ‘chains’ in the center of the council._

_“Castiel, we are trying to understand--” Hester had started, only for Castiel to growl at her and interrupt her._

_“You had them slaughtered! You destroyed my eggs” Castiel cried, gaining a wave of sympathetic murmurs that surrounded him, the audience in shock at the accusation. Why would their elders do such a horrific thing?_

_Hester glared at him, frowning. Charles moved forward on his stone seat, and addressed the enraged blue merman. “Are you saying you consented to this mating you’ve been subjected to?”_

_“You agreed to mate a Cecaelia, Castiel,” Zachariah roared over Charles's questions. The community gasped as shock radiated through the masses. Gabriel stared wide-eyed at his brother._

_“Yes, I love him. Dean is good and kind--” Castiel started, as his tears continued down his cheeks while his lips trembled._

_“He is a MONSTER, Castiel! He forced you,” Zachariah yelled._

_“NO! NO, he did not! We mated out of love, and I caught with his offspring. Mother Sea allowed it--” Castiel fought against Zachariah’s accusations, desperate in his need to be clear about his lover._

_The surrounding Merfolk were up in an uproar. Communication with a Cecaelia was forbidden. They were the monsters of the sea. They had almost eradicated the Merfolk in the last war, and as such, the Merfolk went to great lengths to stay away and prosper. They couldn’t allow a young and idealist Omega merman to put them all at risk._

_Someone in the audience yelled out ‘“Kill the abomination!” Castiel flinched as if he had been slapped._

_“The eggs have been dealt with,” Naomi announced, to appease the growing angry mob._

_Castiel cried, a wretched, pain-filled wail as he mourned the death of his offspring. They had barely had a chance to move inside of their eggs. It had only been a mere new moon since Castiel had laid them._

_“Are you choosing your monster over your own kin, Castiel.” Zachariah demanded._

_“You are the monsters,” Castiel’s tortured, weeping voice echoed._

_Gabriel looked on in shock. He hadn’t known. Castiel hadn’t told him and it hurt. They had been close once, and Castiel hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him. Gabriel’s heart twisted painfully as he watched his brother mourn and wail in anguish as he suffered, knowing his eggs had been destroyed. Gabriel couldn’t imagine the pain. He wanted to go to him, hold him, and hug him, and just as his tail moved to do exactly that, Michael caught him and shook his head no._

_“You are to be exiled, you insolent, selfish Omega. I will make sure you never see your monster again.” Zachariah rose as he made his announcement, and the other Elders rose as well. Hester came forward and started to chant as Zachariah motioned for particular Mermaids named Anael, Alistair, Gordon and Ruby to swim forward. They were Zachariah’s helpers in maintaining order among the clan. “Make sure he dies,” was all Zachariah said. Michael held him back as Gabriel screamed. “No!”_

_They rushed him as Castiel was held completely helpless while he struggled against the chains that bound him. The foursome were on him in seconds and began clawing him. They bit and toyed with him as they took him apart while he cried and screamed. Many of the Merfolk community were in complete shock. This event was barbaric and frightening, yet none dared to do anything to gain attention upon themselves._

_When they were finished, Castiel was unconscious, barely alive as his gills struggling to cycle water to help him breathe. He was butchered, covered in blood, and gruesome gashes decorated the whole of him as the four mermaids smiled at their handiwork and awaited further instructions._

_Hester came towards Castiel. She was the Sorceress of the Northern Merfolk clan. Her eyes glowed an oyster color as magic surged from her fingertips and wrapped around Castiel’s limp form. “Wipe his mind of the Cecaelia,” Zachariah urged her._

_“Leave him in shark waters. They should finish him off. If by chance humans find him, he will look like their kin,” Zachariah ordered, as Castiel’s beautiful blue tail disappeared and ripped into the two limbs that humans had been seen having._

_Once the transformation was complete, and shocked gasps had been heard from all of the Merfolk, Zachariah’s henchmen took Castiel away and into dangerous, shark infested waters._

_Gabriel had looked ion and yanked himself away from Michael as he hurried in the other direction from Castiel. He swam as fast as he could towards the coral reefs he knew his friends Garth and Balthazar liked to play at. He found the two dolphins passing a puffer fish back and forth as he played._

_“Gabriel--” Balthazar was about to greet him, until he noticed the tears and fear radiating from him._

_“I need your help! Please,” Gabriel pleaded. The two dolphins looked at each other, and then at their friend. Gabriel begged them to go help Castiel; to get him to shore or something to help him live and not be eaten by sharks. His voice cracked from begging, and it took him a few tries to get his friends to understand his plea in his desperation. Finally Garth and Balthazar had understood enough. They had also been friends with Castiel. The duo took off in the direction Gabriel had instructed._  
**~|~|~|~**

Gabriel remembered how some time later the dolphins had returned, and told him they had taken Castiel to shore quite a distance away and that humans had found him, but that was all they could supply. Gabriel was still grateful.

The sandstone Omega caressed one of the eggs in the creche. He remembered how he had taken it upon himself to brave the Cecaelian waters to find the Alpha Castiel had so loved. He felt he had owed Castiel that much, to tell his mate who was no doubt worried and confused about Castiel’s disappearance. It had taken many nights for Gabriel to end his cowardice and do this important thing for his brother. He knew in his heart that if the roles had been reversed, Castiel would have done this for him.

**~|~|~|~**  
_Gabriel swam carefully through the strange waters. He had never ventured this way, too scared to come upon the sea monsters the older Omegas in the clan had told him about since he was a tiny thing in a shell. He snuck towards the caves and coral, never quite sure what the vibrations in the surrounding waters meant, yet he stayed alert._

_By chance, he caught a whiff of his brother’s scent. It was faint, but it was obvious he had recently been in this area before. He carefully glided in the cool current as he tried to figure out which way to go, when he heard a strained lament of grief coming from a cave entrance in between the many colored coral. There was agitation in the water mixed in with worry and...anger. The vibration in the waters told Gabriel that whatever was in the cave was huge._

_His heart thundered as he inched forward. He prayed to Mother Sea that it was his brother’s mate and not something else that would kill him,although his brother’s lover could kill him as well._

_Gabriel reached the cave opening and peered inside. His eyes went wide as he saw the massive garnet-colored Cecaelia Warrior. It was easily three times his size, and Gabriel trembled with fear. He squeaked, and in that second, flashing jade green eyes looked up at him. Gabriel had no chance as swift and sure tentacles surrounded him and yanked him into the cave to face an obviously wrathful Cecaelia._

_“Who are you? Where is Castiel? What happened--” the Cecaelia abruptly stopped speaking as his voice gave. Gabriel saw the tears on the Alpha’s face, and finally noticed the three small objects the creature was holding close. They were large shards of shells. One was a soft rust color, while the other was a sheer salmon tone. Gabriel’s heart broke at the sight, momentarily forgetting he was captive in the Cecaelia’s powerful tentacles. The other item was a large and rare pink pearl._

_“I’m Castiel’s brother, Gabriel. Please don’t hurt me,” the small Omega managed._

_“Where is Castiel? What happened,” the Alpha demanded as he stared at the destroyed nest. Gabriel followed the Alpha’s gaze. It was obvious Castiel had put up quite the fight. His brother had fought fiercely to protect their nest and their eggs._

_“Are you Dean,” Gabriel asked carefully. Intense jade eyes assessed him, and the Cecaelia nodded._  
**~|~|~|~**

**End Chapter Five**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **~|~|~|~** indicates memories/flashbacks

**Bandon, Oregon**

Jimmy sat in the sand next to his house. He had decided to make a small fire pit as he watched the sun set over the water. He grabbed his favorite blanket and made himself comfortable as the evening air started to cool around him, and the fire’s flames swayed in the light breeze.

Jimmy closed his eyes as he took in the sea salt, sand, and the scent of the glowing wood in the pit.

_Cas._

The name kept sounding in his mind. It felt personal, private and intimate, and he wondered d if it was his own. From the flashbacks and the haunting memories, it seemed as if it were.

_Cas._

Dean, the handsome man with apple green eyes and a charming smile, kept saying it in his replays of the very few clear dreams he’d had. Jimmy felt more than saw, the situations. Yet the ones that featured Dean were warm, joyous, and at times, arousing. A part of him accepted that Dean had been his lover, a good part of his past, yet he had no idea what had happened, and it was frustrating and terrifying. If he had washed up on the beach, nude and with nothing to identify him, nothing that belonged to him, what had happened to Dean? Had he suffered the same fate? Had they been attacked while on a boat? Shipwrecked? Or had Dean been the one to hurt him?

Jimmy sighed. His mind was always filled with an onslaught of questions, with no legitimate answers in sight. Why had he forgotten in the first place? Was he blocking the memories himself? He reached over and picked up his small treasure chest, and opened it on his lap. He wasn’t sure what his fascination with the tiny pink pearls was, but as he touched them gently, their surfaces glimmering in the dim light, they soothed him, a vibrant hum coursing through him. It was as if they made him remember something powerful, something that had meaning beyond it being a physical item. As if its representation meant something beautiful and profound in its purity. He wished so much he could at least remember _this._

  
  


**40 Miles from Bandon, Oregon**

Dean sat on the sand as the waves crashed in. Sam had gone to get them ‘food’ and Dean had wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He fished out the large pink pearl from his satchel and held it in his hands. He remembered when he had found it, when he had realized that it was the perfect gift to give to Castiel and ask him to mate. The Omega’s reaction had been adorable, which had then turned quite sensual. Dean hadn’t been expecting it, yet it had been absolutely perfect.

**~|~|~|~**  
_Dean had gone out much further than he had planned, yet he hadn’t found what he was looking for,whatever it was. It had to be perfect. As a Cecaelia, Dean had done the traditional courting with Castiel,only Castiel wasn’t a Cecaelia, and his first attempt at asking the Omega to mate hadn’t exactly gone the way he had expected. It had been a clear reminder that his love was Merfolk, and that Dean had to ask him in their fashion, not his._

_His first try had consisted of gifting Castiel with a necklace he had spent quite some time on, drilling a tiny hole into each of the teeth he had kept from the great white. It had been symbolic to him. It had been the reason they had met, after all. Dean had planned to show the merman how to use it as a weapon as well as a tool. However, when he had presented the gift, Castiel had been wary about wearing shark teeth around his neck. They were extremely sharp, and it wasn’t something a merman wore. Dean realized how badly the necklace clashed with the innocence and beauty of his lover, and his heart had broken a bit at his own oversight. He felt irritated with himself that he hadn’t taken Castiel’s species into account. The Omega, however, had thanked him, and had voiced that he was grateful for the gift, especially after Dean had shown him how to use it as a weapon, like a mace that spun with its sharp edges._

_His second attempt had been the Cecaelia mating dance,which had also not gone quite well. Cecaelia would perform alluring and provocative movements with their tentacles in a show of power and prowess, to show off the strength and coordination among their many limbs in a wanton display to entice their intended. Castiel had watched in shock and awe. Dean’s tentacle dance had left the poor merman dizzy, and he had almost fainted. It had most definitely NOT been the outcome Dean had hoped for._

_Now, this would be his third attempt, and he had laid his groundwork. He had wracked his mind and gone over the many conversations he and Castiel had had about the differences in their species. He had finally remembered the right conversation, the one about their courting habits. While the basics had been the same, in the sense of spending time together, getting to know one another, and to grow comfortable enough to eventually touch as an intimate pair, the moments of the Alpha asking the Omega were different. Dean had once again blamed his short attention span, as well as Castiel’s beautiful and beaming smile with his wide, soulful blue eyes for making him forget such important differences. The Cecaelian methods had failed, of course, since Dean hadn't even voiced them to the Omega, which resulted in Castiel not having a clue as to what Dean had been doing. However, Castiel had shared his Merfolk ways, and Dean smiled as he remembered the information._

_An Alpha wanting to ask a Merfolk Omega to mate had to do two things, and hope the Omega would be receptive to them. The Alpha had to, at the very least start a nest, a safe one for the Omega to house and to prepare the pair for mating season. It had to be undisturbed and large enough for any eggs the pair might have. It was to show the Omega that the Alpha was a dependable provider. Of course, some Omegas demanded the Alphas hunt their favorite snack as well, just to sweeten the pot. The second part, which was just as important, was a mating gift. Unlike Dean’s shark necklace, the Merfolk mating gift had to represent the intended wooer’s love. It had to represent how the Alpha felt about the Omega in its purity and innocence. It was meant to be an item the Omega would forever cherish._

_So, Dean was on a mission. He couldn’t imagine finding anything that depicted how he felt about Castiel, but he was going to try. It took much longer than he would have liked, and he hadn’t liked going out in unknown territories, yet Castiel deserved something precious; something that could convey how Dean felt about him, because the Cecaelia was barely able to explain it himself._

_As he glided forward and kept his eyes hovering over the ocean floor, corals, and rock formations he wasn't familiar with, a massive blue-shelled mollusk caught his eye. It was slightly open, coaxing him towards it. Dean lowered himself carefully, because any quick movements could bring on other predators that hid among the reefs. The Cecaelia came eye level with the colossal sea cradle, and saw something shimmering inside of it._

_Dean quickly tapped near the shell’s entrance with one of his tentacles, and the creature snapped its opening shut. Dean smirked; he wasn’t new to hunting. He assessed the situation, and was sure he was very strong despite the mollusk’s grand size. The Cecaelia carefully secured himself on the reef, surrounding the shell with his own vast size and fierce tentacles. He used six of them to keep himself steady while he used his halberd to entice the shell to open, and when it did, Dean used his remaining four to strike. The mollusk had no chance as Dean made quick work of snapping its overlay clean off._

_What had lain inside made Dean’s eyes go wide. He had never seen a pearl so substantial. Its color alone was something the Cecaelia had never seen before, a sheer and soft flushed pink. He picked it up, and it was large enough that it commanded a whole hand. He smiled as a rush of happiness filled him. This was what he had been looking for. This was the mating gift meant for Castiel._

_He swam back as fast as he could, and his heart sang high at the impending and hopeful scene he wished for it to conjure. He was already quite late in meeting the Omega, and he hoped his love wouldn’t be upset with him. The Cecaelia surged forward and scared schools of fish as he thundered through to get to the corals to meet Castiel, hoping desperately to catch him before the Omega turned to go home._

_The Cecaelia made a sharp turn by latching two of his tentacles to the cave rock, and came face to face with the beautiful blue Merman. Castiel smiled at him, peering out of the cave opening, and Dean’s whole being hummed as he realized that Castiel had ventured into the cave he had been working on for their nest. The Omega was beaming at him as he let his eyes turn back towards the inside of the cave, and then back at Dean in question. The Alpha’s cheeks turned as red as his tentacles._

_“Hello, Dean.”_

_“Hi, Cas.”_

_They silently gazed at each other, curious, giddy, and appreciative. Castiel’s stunning blue tail was glistening in the soft rays of the sun that filtered down from above. The few scales he had on his shoulder and temples gave him a look of royalty to Dean, like Mother Sea was offering the Cecaelia her most beautiful prince of the seven oceans. It took him a moment to remember himself as Castiel smiled at him and shyly swirled about the cave opening._

_“Did you do all of this,” the Omega asked gently, as he gave Dean an adoring gaze beneath his dark lashes._

_The Alpha nodded. Castiel swam towards him and grasped Dean’s hands in his own, and kissed him on the cheek. “I, um, I made it for you, and I also have this.” The Cecaelia used his tentacles to fish out the massive pearl from his sack, never wanting to let go of Castiel’s hands. As he brought the pearl out, Castiel’s eyes went wide in shock._

_“Dean…” The Cecaelia placed it in the Mermaid’s hand, the gift so exquisite the Omega had to grasp it with both hands._

_“Castiel, would you do me the honor of being my mate?” Dean breathed out in barely a whisper. He had faced countless battles and sea creatures that had tried at every turn to kill him. He had laughed in the face of danger more times then he could remember. Yet in this moment where he bared his heart to the only Omega that had ever consumed it, it was the most frightening moment of his lengthy lifespan._

_Castiel rushed forward and kissed him,wrapping his arms around his neck. The Cecaelia wrapped some of his tentacles around his love’s tail, and using his others, he maneuvered them into the cave. He laid Castiel down on the soft sand bed he had made, and looked down at the breathtaking happy smile the Omega was giving._

_“Was the necklace and dance your trying to tell me this is what you were trying to ask,” Castiel asked between soft press of their lips against one another. Dean nuzzled him._

_“It was, but I think the pearl truly conveys my affections for you,” the Alpha voiced, as he regarded his love with pure adoration. “You are all I think about, all that matters, and you’ve completely bewitched me, Cas.”_

_“Just as you have since the moment our eyes met. I knew I was yours, and only yours, for all of time.” Castiel mirrored his feelings. Dean kissed him deeply, dominating his mouth with passion and need as Castiel moaned into the kiss. The Omega’s webbed hand roamed over his Cecaelian lover’s shoulders, neck, and back. His tail thrashed against the sand and wiggled in the midst of the Alpha’s tentacles, loving how the thousands of suckers teased his scales and skin wherever they touched. “I don’t want to wait until mating season,” Castiel announced between their heated kisses._

_Dean groaned and kissed him deeply. His Omega wanted him now, wanted to mate now, and the Cecaelian Alpha was helpless to do anything but give his mate anything and everything he desired. Especially himself._

_The Alpha momentarily stopped and looked down at his Omega. Now, Dean was quite well-versed in copulating with his own species,as to how to copulate with a Merman, however, he had no clue. Castiel smiled at him, seeing and sensing his hesitation, and pulled him down to kiss him once more._

_Castiel took one of his hands and brought it just below the scales on his stomach, and rubbed at a small patch of scales. It slid open, and a small phallus was beneath. Castiel brought his love’s fingers beneath and there, Dean felt the wet, pulsing heat. He groaned as he devoured Castiel’s mouth and pushed in two of his fingers._

_The Omega mewled and panted as the Cecaelia teased him. “D-Dean…I have…I have two reproductive vulvas, I think the other would work best with your bulk,” he panted. His whole scaleless skin had taken on a flushed color, and Dean moaned at the thought of his Omega having two vulvas._

_“Show me,” Dean growled against him. Castiel twisted in his grasp and turned, giving the Alpha his backside. He took his hand and rubbed his scales at the base of the plump curve of his tail, and just like the front, a slit appeared. Dean could make out two chambers. One was, of course, for excretion but the other…the vulva was pulsing and glistening with slick, telling the Alpha that the Omega was very much on board with copulating right this moment._

_The Cecaelia wrapped his tentacles around his love, and arched the Omega just so as Dean’s massive phallus came out of the protective pudge just beneath his pelvis. Carefully he pushed himself into his virgin mate, who cried out as he sunk in slowly. His tentacles teased and caressed Castiel’s body. One of the smaller ones caressed his small phallus, and another teased his smaller vulva. The Omega moaned and panted at the sensations, and other tentacles teased at his nipples. Dean wrapped his right arm around Castiel’s torso, and his large hand held him against him, back to chest as he started to move. The Omega turned his head, and the Alpha kissed him as he set a harsh pace. Cecaelia copulated in a rough and dominant fashion, and Castiel was quite receptive as he cried out and held on to Dean as they mated._

_The Alpha was completely lost in the sensation. His ferocious nature took over, and he was completed constricted around the merman ,thrusting with abandon. The Omega was just as consumed, body completely compliant and welcoming of the brutish claiming. Castiel tilted his neck, and Dean sank his jaw into the mating gland just beneath Castiel’s neck gills._  
**~|~|~|~**

Dean caressed the pearl. Castiel had cherished it, had placed it on a small mantle he had made in their nest. The Alpha clenched his jaws as he remembered finding it. He and Castiel had spent their first mating season together and hadn’t left their nest in many moons. Both had been wrapped around the other tightly, and Castiel was luminous in the throes of his heat. The Omega had been demanding and sensual. He had been beyond any dream Dean had ever had, and excelled beyond any of his fantasies. They had mated repeatedly, and Castiel had been quite receptive to Dean using his tentacles on him in the most sinful ways. They had both been completely insatiable in their mating frenzy.

After mating season, Dean had to leave his Omega to go on a hunting expedition. It was the custom for Cecaelia Alphas to bring back food for their mates to gorge on, especially if their Omegas had caught during mating. Castiel had smiled at him and told him to bring him back salmon and his favorite, shrimp.

Upon his return, after three moon cycles, he had planned to bring Castiel to his elders. He had already announced his mating to them, and they had been welcoming and eager to meet and welcome the Omega that had captured the fierce warrior's heart. Yet when Dean had swam to their nest,he had found it in shambles. It had been destroyed. He had found the pearl on the ground, partially hidden by sand. In the upper cove he had built for any eggs they would have, he had found the crushed remains of two eggs. He had picked up the two biggest pieces of each and the pearl as he roared and cried while his heart broke. Fear had gripped him, not knowing what had happened and where his mate had gone or been taken to. There had been a fight, it was clear in the condition of the nest, and Dean had screamed in his confusion. Desperation and rage filled him at finding out what had happened to his family.

**End Chapter Six**


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **~|~|~|~** indicates memories/flashbacks

**Bandon, Oregon**

“Hey, are you sure you’re up for this,” Meg asked as they made their way towards the northern cliff.

“Yes. I’d very much like to experience it.” Jimmy smiled at her as they made their way towards the edge, where a small but sturdy wooden balcony had been constructed. It overlooked the ocean, and was a rare gift most people never had the pleasure of experiencing.

A sudden pulsing thwop radiated, followed by keening whistles. Jimmy and Meg looked at each other with wide eyes, and hurried to witness the world’s wonder.

A mother grey whale, along with her calves, jumped out of the water. Jimmy gasped at the breathtaking beauty of the sea giants in this moment between mother and child. The calls the whale made vibrated and echoed among the low rocks, and made Jimmy’s whole being hum in response to its sound. As quickly and fiercely as the joyous and awesome feeling overcame him, a sharp and painful longing filled him. A stone dropped in his stomach, and he placed a hand over his abdomen in confusion. Every time he witnessed anything between a mother and a child, this hollow ache consumed him, as though he was missing, or had lost, something.

“Jimmy?” He quickly turned to look at Meg, who was looking at him with concern. “You’re crying.”

He touched his face, and his hand came away wet with tears. “I, um…it's beautiful,” Jimmy tried to cover, yet he could tell by Meg’s reaction she didn’t buy it.

“I don’t know what you are going through because you won’t tell me, and it’s your right, but I’m here.” Meg hugged him as he nodded against her denim jacket. He had no idea how to explain any of the emotions he felt or any of the few clear images he saw, only that they all played into his past and were all important, yet he couldn’t reach them.

With every day the sun rose and set, he felt as if something was calling out to him, that something was simmering just beneath his skin. Every year around this time, both he and Meg would have feverish spells and wouldn’t be able to leave their beds. Rufus had explained it was just some kind of seasonal illness the two of them were susceptible to, but something told Jimmy it was much more than that. Right now, he was feeling the beginning tendrils of it, but they felt stronger than the ones before. There was an electricity in the air, and it felt as if the whale’s calls were making his body recall something his mind couldn’t. He trembled harshly against Meg.

“Are you already feeling ill,” she asked him, as she looked at his face that seemed to pale and regain color within the same moment.

“A bit? It feels different this time, can we go?” Jimmy asked, as his body seemed to calm down after a few more shivers.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

  
  


**30 Miles from Bandon, Oregon**

“Dean? You all right,” Sam asked.

They were sitting in a beach side diner. Getting used to human methods of ‘living’ as much as they could to conform was still difficult at times. The food alone had been something both of the brothers had to get used to. While Sam tried to stay as close as possible to their ‘seafood’ diet, Dean had decided to venture into human foods.

The elder brother groaned. It wasn’t the food. Dean actually quite enjoyed the dish the humans called ‘bacon cheeseburger’ even though it made Sam hurl and stick to fish and shrimp dishes. No,Dean knew this feeling, this need that started to get to him, only this time it was much stronger. Mating season was to start in another moon cycle, but his body, the Alpha in him, was calling out to his mate. He had done the same in the past mating season, only this time…

Dean moved to stand, and almost tipped the table over in the process.

“Dean!” Sam reached out to steady his brother. Dean was wide eyed, and his skin looked clammy. The few onlookers were giving them curious glances, and turned away as Dean slowly sank back down into the uncomfortable wooden chair.

“Mating season--” the Alpha started, only for his brother to interrupt.

“It's a whole moon cycle away.”

Dean growled as he took in a deep breath. Sam how no idea how mating season felt when you were mated to an Omega. It was a primal need to copulate, breed, and quite honestly, for the Alphas to ravish their Omegas, cherish them, and give them pleasure while hoping their mate would catch and lay their eggs.

Since they had started on the journey to find Castiel, Dean had of course felt the call during mating season. It had been more or less an irritating itch that wanted to be scratched. With a mated Alpha, if his mate wasn’t near during the season, it wasn’t a consuming need. Now, however, he felt Castiel. He knew he was near, not close enough to be in this tiny town they had stopped at, but close enough for Dean to feel the need and the pull towards his mate.

“We need to go. He’s not in this town, but he’s not far. We’re going in the right direction. I can feel him, Sam.” The desperation in his brother’s voice made Sam gape at him. Finally, there was a real chance for his brother to get his mate back.

“Ok, ok, let me just..” Sam took out the ‘box’ Rowena had given them at the start of their adventure. Much like the ‘watches’, she had informed them that humans functioned around something called ‘money’. As far as the brothers were concerned, the ‘money’ was a filthy and smelly item humans seemed entirely too fond of. Rowena had explained that in order for them to eat, get ‘clothes’ (both Alphas hated the contraptions), or appear as normal as possible, they would need money, and as such she had gifted them with the small metal box that held a magical element.

It ‘recycled’ money that was near it, meaning that when the brothers would need to ‘pay’ for whatever they needed, the box would materialize the exact amount needed by ‘borrowing’ whatever the humans near them had on their person. Once the transaction was completed, the spell would cause the money to return back to its rightful owner. Sam had found it brilliant, while Dean had simply nodded and didn’t care to understand further. He just wanted to get Castiel back.

Sam ‘paid’ for their food, and the brothers were back on the beach and continued northbound.

  
  


**Bandon, Oregon**

Jimmy grilled salmon on the small grill that he kept on his porch. He felt famished, and the fish was barely cooked when he took a bite. He couldn't stop himself as he devoured the fish. He sat on the wooden steps and eyed the grilling shrimp on the grill, the charcoal making his stomach turn into knots as he licked the salmon from his fingers and picked at his teeth with one of the bones from its spine. He felt wild, and his body seemed out of control, doing things he wouldn’t normally do. Maybe he was coming down with something. Rufus had looked him over after his event at the cliff, but he hadn’t had the shivers since. However, he found himself doing strange things, worse than eating a half cooked salmon.

He had started t collecting pillows and blankets, and had built some kind of nest on his bed. He kept masturbating in his bathtub, only to feel lonely and unsatisfied during and after. Jimmy had never felt aroused in the years before. The memory of his lover having him kept replaying in his mind, and even though he couldn’t remember their other times, he knew there had to have been many more. The sensations and the feelings that soared inside of him at the thought of a mere kiss from Dean made him feel as if he was mourning something that was meant only for him.

Jimmy found himself waking up in tears and screaming for Dean, and his body pulsed with its desperation. He wiped his face and sighed. He was losing his mind. He didn’t know how his body remembered a past his mind couldn’t, or wouldn't, allow him to recollect, and he felt divided and scared.

Years ago, Meg had helped him look through what was called the missing ads, but they had never found anything or anyone that pertained to him in any way. Jimmy looked out over the water, the ocean calm and serene as a storm of confusion exploded inside of him. Why couldn’t he remember?

_Cas._

Who was Dean? Where was he? Then there was also the very vivid dream with the tentacles,the powerful and massive tentacles that would reach out to him from the darkness of his mind. Jimmy would find himself reaching back, as if his desperation would only diminish once those tentacles were wrapped around him. He felt completely crazy.

_Cas._

His body suddenly pulsed,an echoing hum that rung him like a bell. Jimmy stood on unsure legs and stumbled inside. He barely made it to his bed before he blacked out and fell face first into the pillows.

  
  


**10 Miles from Bandon, Oregon**

Despite wanting to carry on, Dean was exhausted. He would be of no use to Castiel when he reached him if he was dead in the water. His human legs felt on fire even though he made sure to soak every hundredth hour, and he had refused to sleep. He had reasoned, much to Sam’s relief, that they needed to rest so he could be ready for anything when he finally found his love. He could feel it in the very tips of his tentacles that he was close.

The brothers had divested themselves of their human possessions, stuffed them into the waterproof sack Sam had found on the shore, and dove into the serene cool ocean waters to find a proper sand dune in which to sleep. They swam to the edges of the beach banks, where the sand dunes tipped down and into the depths of the ocean. They found a decent, safe coral reef, and Dean embedded himself into the sand. He narrowed his eyes, settled into a comfortable tangle of his limbs, and let the current soothe and lull him to drift and engage his tentacles to rapidly change color and twitch as he snoozed.

As much as he wanted to hurry and rush, he wanted to be at his best in case of any dangers, and he wanted to look his best for his Omega to charm him back into his fold.

Dean slept soundly for the first time in as many moons since Castiel had disappeared, with the certainty that he was going to find Castiel soon.

**End Chapter Seven**


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~|~|~|~ indicates memories/flashbacks

**Bandon, Oregon**

Meg had tagged along as Jimmy went to a small boutique just off the small town harbor. The woman that tended it made beautiful quilts, and he had felt the _need_ to purchase additional ones to add to the nest on his bed. He hadn’t said a word to Meg about it, hadn’t even allowed her to enter his house, saying he wanted to be out and about. In reality, he wanted to stay in the cocoon of his nest, but he couldn’t ignore his best friend forever. So this impromptu shopping spree made her feel a bit more at ease with all of his odder than usual behaviors.

Jimmy hadn’t been feeling well since he woke up. The pain in his stomach grew stronger with every day, and he knew it was some heightened version of that seasonal illness Rufus was trying to help him with. Today, as he tried to enjoy the beautiful handmade blanket before him, sweat was seeping through his t-shirt, and he started feeling dizzy as a strong wave of nausea hit him. His stomach clenched, and then he was embarrassingly _aroused_. Jimmy tried to hide himself in the back of the shop, but he suddenly felt much too hot. He was flushed and panting from his body overheating, and he was terrified, not understanding what the hell was happening.

“Jimmy! You’re burning up! Let’s go.” Meg pulled at him to exit the shop. Mating season was still three weeks away, and she hadn’t even started to feel the symptoms, while Jimmy seemed to be going through them full-force as a mated Omega. It was a fierce, early heat, but she couldn’t understand what was causing it.

**###**

“I can feel him.I can smell him.” Dean was practically running through the small town, looking into every building and outside shop that bordered the beach. He felt completely wild, as if Rowena’s glamour magic wouldn’t be able to fully contain his true form with his heightened senses going feral, telling him _his_ Omega was near. Castiel was close by, and he had to find his love right _now._

Sam was doing his best to keep up with his brother, wanting to be ready for anything as Dean looked practically delirious, following his senses blindly, scaring some of the local folks.

Dean turned a corner and spotted a woman that was helping a slight man on the sidewalk. Time stood still for the Cecaelia Alpha as the man turned and set two confused and pain-filled sky blue eyes on him, and everything clicked for Dean.

“Cas!” Dean called out, and took off in a run towards him. Those blue eyes went wide in shock as Dean reached him.

Jimmy couldn’t look away as Dean…Dean from his memories came running towards him, and as the handsome man touched him, the Omega went into shock. An onslaught of memories and images flooded his mind, and he blacked out.

**~|~|~|~**  
_The Omega kept sneaking glances at the Cecaelia. Dean was impressive with his many powerful tentacles as two of them quickly went about cleaning his halbert. Four struggling tuna were quickly losing their battles with two more of Dean’s tentacles, and with four of his other tentacles, he was going about skinning an eel he had promised Castiel was going to be delicious. His remaining tentacles kept him perfectly steady, half covered in sand and holding on to the reef wall they were occupying for their meal._

_They had been spending quite a bit of time together. Castiel grew all the more attached, and all the more fascinated with the sweet Cecaelia Alpha. Dean was intelligent, cunning really, especially when it came to hunting, and he had taught Castiel a few tricks. Dean was endearing, always curious about him and about his kind, and the way he smiled at him made the Omega shiver with a bloom of clown fish going wild in his stomach. Castiel was always looking forward to sneaking away from his family to come and be with Dean. He would get excited, eager to be with his new friend, and he grew ever more interested in all that had to do with the Cecaelia Alpha._

_He was particularly curious about those tentacles. What was it like to have so many limbs? And those suckers…Dean had explained that the suckers had multiple uses, and he even had an array of them that were about a foot up from the tips that were poisonous. The Cecaelia used those to sting his prey, which kept them from moving too much. The suckers also helped him to move about easily and ‘taste’ things. It gave the Alpha a way to sense things better, and the tasting was a way for him to identify things as well._

_Castiel watched the Alpha. He was inspecting his weapon, smirking that it was clean enough, and wrapped it back in its seaweed band that would hold it across his back. His attention then turned to the eel, and Castiel flinched when the Cecaelia ripped off its head like a mere tendril and threw it behind him while he used a seashell to fan off the blood. As Dean set to clean the eel and then the tuna, his tentacles worked in a frenzy, turning the sand to a cloud around him. The Omega smirked. The Alpha was quick._

_In no time, they ate the kills Dean had caught effortlessly. Castiel had never tried eel before, and he had to admit it wasn’t bad at all._

_The Omega’s blue eyes watched his friend intently, blushing as he focused on Dean’s lips, thinking about a kiss. He turned away abruptly to calm himself. He was being completely silly._

_“Dean?”_

_“Hm?”_

_“Can I--I mean, could I touch one of your tentacles?” Castiel knew he was pink-cheeked as the words left his mouth._

_Dean looked at him with an arched brow. “Yeah? I mean, yes, sure.” The Omega was relieved that his friend seemed especially delighted in his interest. Carefully, Dean brought one of his tentacles towards Castiel, as if he was offering it. The merman carefully moved to touch it, and poked at one of the suckers slowly. His eyes went wide as the tiny circular creases with tinsel-like micro limbs latched onto Castiel’s finger. He started to caress the suckers, and touched the rough and tough garnet skin that took up the whole of Dean’s tentacles and lower torso._

_“Which ones are the poisonous ones?” Castiel asked. He looked up at Dean and then smiled. The Cecaelia had his eyes closed, and his mouth was slightly opened. His face looked...flushed? “Dean?”_

_“Hn? What?” The Alpha finally came out of his trance, and Castiel frowned as he watched his friend suspiciously._

_“What was that?” Castiel felt bold, and came closer towards his friend. There was no mistaking it, the Cecaelia was blushing._

_“I, um, well--” Dean cleared his throat. “My senses are very acute, and the suckers tasted your skin…I can’t really explain what it did exactly…”_

_“Try,” the Omega pushed in a whisper as he floated closer. His heart was beating wildly in his chest._

_The Cecaelia took a deep breath. “You taste like sweet Omega, like the cool currents of Mother Sea on a sun basking day, and a thunderous moon…like everything an Alpha, Cecaelia or Merfolk, could ever--” Dean never finished the phrase, and instead found himself being kissed on the lips by an equally blushing Castiel. _

**-+-+-+-+**

_“I love how this feels,” Castiel smiled, as he laid in the sand looking up towards the surface. The sun was beaming down on him, the water crystal clear, and the surface was just a few short feet from him. “I could never get enough sand on me.”_

_Dean laughed as he added more sand on top of the merman. “I think it’s silly how much you like being suncaked,” the Cecaelia voiced, as he used his tentacles to bury the whole of Castiel’s form, leaving his head and arms free. They had found a beautiful secluded cove where they could safely venture towards the shallow beached area to sunbathe without exposing themselves. The merman absolutely loved it._

_“Hey, you are the one that sleeps this way if we aren’t cuddled up. Besides, this feels amazing. The sand beneath me is cold, while the sun is warming the front of me. I just love how it feels so relaxing, like I’m secure.” Castiel smiled as Dean leaned over him and kissed his lips in repetitive pecks between his words. The Alpha’s massive crimson tentacles disappeared beneath the sand, and the Omega’s eyes went wide. “Dean!” He barely had a chance to cry out as his lover’s tentacles started to tickle his sides without mercy._

**-+-+-+-+**

_Castiel caressed the pink pearl. The emotions the gift evoked inside him brought tears to his eyes. Dean, his wonderful Alpha Cecaelia, had asked him to mate. Their love was forbidden, yet he knew since the moment they met, when Dean had unintentionally saved him from the great white, that his heart had sealed his fate and belonged eternally to Dean. A mating gift’s significance was extremely crucial to the Merfolk. It represented how the Alpha felt for the Omega, and the gift was a ‘reflection’ of them. A rare and large pink pearl…Castiel felt touched, felt cherished, a priority. He felt loved by the Cecaelia. Dean’s actions alone spoke volumes about the Alpha’s affections for him, but having an actual mating gift…asking to be his mate…the young merman was enchanted. Their love was forbidden, yes; however it wasn’t any less powerful, and Castiel loved Dean beyond words._

**-+-+-+-+**

_“I need you,” Castiel panted as Dean kissed and nipped at his neck, sending thrilling tendrils all the way down to the tips of his tail fins. His heat had started two moons ago, and he was elated to be finally taking part in the mating season with the Alpha he was so deeply in love with. He was greedy with his lover. He absolutely loved Dean’s many tentacles. He could be touched all over his body, those sensitive suckers leaving marks all over his skin and scales,powerful small caresses that made his body vibrate deliciously. Dean was possessive in the peak of their mating frenzy, and the growls and nips coming from the Alpha as he thrust into him at a rough and savage pace were intoxicating and exhilarating. The Cecaelia kept him confined in the safety of his tentacles, while one of the smaller ones teased his front vulva and phallus, making him mewl and moan as the Alpha pushed into him from behind._

**-+-+-+-+**

_Castiel trailed after the Cecaelia, watching his lover go about collecting his favorite meal, salmon and shrimp. Dean was quick, his prey had no chance of escape. The Omega couldn’t help but feel a bit amused. Here was a big and ferocious Cecaelia Warrior,hunting shrimp because his lover favored them._

**-+-+-+-+**

_The Omega cuddled against his Alpha. They were covered in the sand dune by a massive coral wall in one of the deeper crevasses that separated their kinds’ territories. Dean was wrapped around him, eight powerful tentacles keeping him safe and cozy, while two other tentacles kept them secure to the rocks as they kissed and nuzzled each other leisurely while they watched bounteous schools of fish pass by. At times they would all disburse at impressive speeds because of some kind of predator wandering by. It was beautiful to watch._

**-+-+-+-+**

_Castiel couldn’t believe it. He had caught! He had caught! He swam around in glee filled circles, overjoyed with the knowledge that he and Dean had made offspring despite their different species. The Omega caressed his slightly swollen abdomen and hummed happily. He wondered how many eggs he would lay. Most Merfolk could lay up to ten eggs at once, yet he wondered how many he could bear. Dean was Cecaelia, and a massive one at that. Castiel smiled as he caressed his bump. He would be completely delighted if he was able to deliver one safely._

_Dean was gone with his kind, something about Cecaelia Warrior traditions to be carried out after the mating season. Castiel understood, and tended to the beautiful , warm nest Dean had worked hard to make for them. It was peaceful, and had an upper shelf to the cave that the Alpha had made purposely for their eggs. Dean had wordlessly hoped that Castiel would catch, and he had! The Omega couldn’t wait for him to come home and see their egg or eggs._

**-+-+-+-+**

_Castiel fought with everything he had. Laying the eggs had been painful and terrifying only because he had been alone, and their eggs had been much larger than what a Merfolk Omega would normally bear. There were two of them, and they were beautiful and unusual in their sizes and colors. They were everything to Castiel. Dean hadn’t yet returned from the Cecaelian Hunts. He hadn’t even seen their eggs yet, and now here were Merfolk Sentries and Elder Zachariah’s four henchman coming to take him and their eggs._

_Castiel fought, scratched, bit and clawed at them, but they were too many. Two of the Sentry held him tightly to the point that his limbs felt numb, and he watched in horror as Anael, Alistair, Gordon and Ruby looked over his eggs. They insulted, cursed, and belittled him and his offspring. They spat at the word Cecaelia, and then they…slaughtered them. They crushed the innocent and helpless eggs. Castiel’s screams rang throughout the ocean sands._  
** ~|~|~|~**

“Jimmy!” Meg watched as some stranger barreled towards them, and just as the large man touched Jimmy, her best friend passed out. His body went limp, much too heavy for her to catch, but the stranger caught him easily and laid him down gently.

“Cas, sweetheart, what's happening?” Dean was frantic as Castiel’s body started to seize.

Meg frowned at the man who had called Jimmy ‘Cas’ and was met with a warning growl. She looked up and noted right away the man had green eyes-eyes that flickered into slits, then went all black before back to emerald green. Her eyes went wide, and his skin looked as if it was moving,like subtle ripples. Meg slid backwards on the pavement in complete shock as she kept her eyes on the...man?

Dean warned the female to stay back, and turned his attention back to his beloved. Castiel twitched in his arms. His eyes were closed, his skin too pale and pasty, while his plush pink lips looked dry and trembled. The Alpha caressed his mate’s cheek gently as he tried cooing at him. “I’m here, Cas, I’m here…”

Meg looked over at Jimmy...or was it Cas? Her gaze landed on her friend’s neck, and the large bite mark that laid there. It always stood out in contrast to the other scars he had. She had no doubt he had been brutally shunned by his Merfolk Clan, just as she had. She was sure it had been because of similar circumstances to her own, that the Omega had been involved with a lover the Elders hadn’t approved of. She had assumed Cas had fallen for a human, just as she had with Jo. However, what was staring at her right in the face…this _man_ was no human. He was something Meg had been taught to fear her entire life:a Cecaelia.

“Dean!” Sam came to kneel next to his brother as Castiel continued to twitch.

“What’s wrong with him? What do I do?” Dean pleaded with his brother for help.

_Dean._

This was the lover Jimmy, no, _Cas_ thought he had before. Meg swallowed her own fear of the Cecaelia and moved forward carefully.

“We have to take him home,” she voiced, proud that her voice didn’t waver and reveal her fear.

Dean glared at the brunette female. His nostrils flared as he scented the air around them. “Omega and Merfolk,” the Alpha murmured, his toned filled with confused suspicion.

Meg’s eyes stared at the Alpha. She was shocked, and felt incredibly exposed and vulnerable.

“D-Dean...” Both the Cecaelia and Meg broke eye contact and looked down at Cas. He was mumbling and whining as he started to thrash about. Dean held him tighter.

“Where is this ‘house’?” Sam asked the female, as Dean stood and picked up Cas bridal style, who was still unconscious and moaning.

Meg led the way.

**###**

Dean laid Castiel down carefully on the ‘bed’. He sat down next to his Omega, and watched over him. Cas had to wake up, he’d just found him. The Alpha caressed Castiel’s cheek gently, and his heart sped up as the Omega turned into it. “Cas…”

Meg stayed near and just watched, still in disbelief that her friend was apparently involved with a Cecaelia.

“Wh-what happened to him? You said his name is Cas?” she asked. She wanted to know and understand.

“Castiel. His name is Castiel,” Dean growled out from the bed, as he kept his eyes on his unconscious lover.

“He was exiled by his clan for mating with Dean,” Sam supplied, keeping a wary eye on her as well as his brother. “You called him Jimmy?”

Meg nodded. Apparently the bigger Cecaelia was the more cordial one. “He washed up on the beach. He had nothing with him, no way to identify him, and he was covered in wounds. When he woke up, he had no idea who he was or where he was.”

Sam frowned as Dean nuzzled Castiel’s neck and stayed against him, scenting him and taking him in.

Castiel waking up and not remembering anything made sense. It explained why Dean had been searching for him for so long. The merman didn’t remember him, them, or any of what had happened. The tall Cecaelia rubbed a hand over his face. He wondered if the attack against Castiel had caused him to forget, or if the Merfolk Sorceress had purposely taken away his memories. Either way, it was cruel, and he couldn’t imagine how confused the merman was up here on land.

Sam looked ‘Meg’ over. Dean has scented her and outed her, but how was she here? “What clan are you from,” he demanded, and Meg rubbed at one of her arms. She watched Dean whispering words into Castiel’s ear and caressing him, his pain clear and painful to watch.

“I was from the southern clan. Merfolk and Omega like your friend-”

“Brother,” Sam corrected.

“Brother,” she said. “I was exiled for falling in love with a human. I had assumed ‘Castiel’ had done the same, being exiled. I knew almost right away he was like me,but the amnesia was, and is, something that was done to him, I truly believe that. It’s not a natural occurrence,” Meg supplied. Sam nodded. “I assumed he had been exiled for the same reason,” she added again, as Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel while he continued to whisper into his ear.

“You weren’t expecting a Cecaelia Alpha,” Sam supplied.

“No, not at all. It had been the furthest thing from my mind. He would get visions or flashbacks at times, and said he mostly felt sensations,but he would remember green eyes, and eventually the name Dean,” she informed him quietly, as Castiel stirred and whimpered on the bed. The Omega’s heat was making him shiver and moan.

Sam nodded his understanding, and studied his brother and his Omega. This hadn’t exactly been how he had hoped to meet his brother’s Omega. Dean had raved and gushed about Castiel while on their hunt after Mating Season. He had been excited about introducing Castiel to him, and to the clan and Elders. Then everything had gone horribly wrong. Sam’s heart ached for Dean. His brother looked so worried and confused as to how to help his mate.

“Cas…I’m right here. Open your eyes. Let me see those pretty blues looking at me...please, Cas,” Dean whispered against his love, as the Omega stirred and mewled against him while he fought whatever was happening in his mind.

**End Chapter Eight**


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **~|~|~|~** indicates memories/flashbacks

  
  
_“You insolent malapert!”_  
  
_Castiel flinched and swam backwards as he looked at his surroundings, while the Merfolk Sorceress’s scream echoed around him. Everything was dark, he couldn’t see anything, and the only light came from a small unit of drymonemas. Gabriel tended to call them pink stingers, since the creatures could easily prick them and injure them. Their sting would numb a Merfolk's scales and turned them black, devoid of life, and keep that area numb until it was devoid of any sensation at all._  
  
  


_Hester came out from the depths of the dark, murky waters, her glowing oyster-colored eyes terrifying as she reached for him with elongated claws. Castiel scurried backwards in the water, wary of hitting one of the massive drymonemas as they moved about around them, making the panic inside of him soar._

_“How dare you break my spell! You are nothing but an insignificant sardine! How could you possibly have broken the spell!” Hester shrieked and wailed as she tried to reach him as he swam away, dodging between the stinging pink giants and straining to see beyond the end of his nose in the dark waters._

“Cas…I’m right here. Open your eyes. Let me see those pretty blues looking at me...please, Cas.”  
  
_The merman whirled around in place as the voice echoed around him._

“Cas, sweetheart. I’m right here. I found you. Please…please open your eyes.”

_Dean. Dean had found him. Hester screamed as she suddenly stopped swimming. She clasped her head in her hands as a bright light started to glow from her eyes, blinding Castiel as an explosion happened, and the blue merman blacked out._

**###**

“Cas.” Dean kissed his lover’s temple. The Omega had started to shiver, and Dean did his best to keep him warm and calm.

Beep Beep, Beep Beep.

Dean looked down at his ‘watch’. It was nearing the hundredth hour, and across the room, Sam’s watch mimicked the sound out of sync.

“Dean…” Sam started as he stood.

Meg watched as Sam stood. Dean seemed reluctant to move as the beeping on the watches persisted. “What’s going on?”

“We have to go into the ocean. Recharge the glamour spell,” Sam voiced, as Dean pressed his watch to stop the annoying sound.

“Glamour spell?” Meg was truly curious. She had many questions, since clearly, the brothers hadn’t been exiled from their clan and had been searching for Castiel for some time.

“Our Cecaelia Sorceress gave us the means to be on land and search for Dean’s mate, but with a few conditions. We had no idea how long it would take to find him, if ever, and we needed a spell that wouldn't run out. So, Rowena, knowledgeable Sorceress that she is, gave us a ‘rechargeable’ spell. These watches tell us when we need to submerge ourselves. We need to do so for a few moments,” Sam tried to explain, as Meg looked at him, a bit impressed.

“And what happens if you don’t?” she asked, as Sam smirked.

“Honestly, neither of us ever wanted to find out the bad end to that condition,” he stated.

“Makes sense.”

When Meg and Sam turned, they found Dean standing with Castiel in his arms. “I’m not leaving him,” was all Dean said, his voice dark and challenging either of them to say anything otherwise.

Neither did.

  
  
**###**  
  
  


Dean set Castiel down gently in the sand, and started to remove his clothes and then the Omega’s. Meg wanted to say something, but Sam shook his head at her to let Dean take care of his mate. She bit her lip and kept her eyes on the couple as her phone vibrated in her pocket. She couldn’t bring herself to be distracted from what was happening in front of her.

“Cas, sweetheart,” Dean started, as he carefully made his way into the rolling tide while he carried him. “I’m right here,” he said against his lover’s temple, and kissed him. “I found you. Please… please open your eyes,” the Cecaelia pleaded, as he moved into the water with his merman. He kept both of their heads above water as an amethyst glow started to pool around him. Dean’s true form easily surged forward. His tentacles stretched free, and then were carefully cradling Castiel’s form.

Suddenly, a blinding light came from Castiel, making Dean’s eyes slit and turn black as he watched Castiel’s beautiful blue tail return. Scales, gills and pointed ears all returned to his true state, and then the Omega was thrashing and gasping as his eyes flew open.

  
  


“Cas,” Dean voiced carefully, as his lover held on to the Alpha’s tentacles tightly, and then Castiel turned to look at him with impossibly wide blue eyes.

“Dean…” Castiel remembered.He remembered everything. Tears filled his eyes, and he surged forward to wrap his arms around his mate’s neck. “You found me…you found me,” the Omega cried, and Dean wrapped his arms and all ten tentacles tightly around his lover. He let them both sink into the waters as they scented each other and held each other tightly.

Castiel pulled back after some time to look at his love and smiled through his pain. How could anyone deny how the Cecaelia Warrior felt about him, when he had searched endlessly for him? The Omega caressed his mate’s face tenderly and then nuzzled himself all over him.

The lovers kissed desperately, as if they needed to convey how much each had missed the other. Dean cradled Castiel’s head and mapped out his mouth in a possessive and pleading kiss. Castiel moaned into him, and met all of his Alpha’s demands with his own as he buried his webbed fingers into Dean’s short hairs. Slowly, the kiss stopped as they leaned forehead to forehead and simply basked in the feeling of being in each other’s arms once again, both relieved and euphoric in their union.

“I’m so sorry, Alpha.I’m so sorry,” Castiel cried quietly, as his tears spilled down his cheeks. Dean cooed at him, making soft keening sounds. It wasn’t his fault. None of it was. “I couldn’t protect them-” The Omega’s voice broke as he took in a breath, and the Cecaelia’s tentacles squeezed in comfort. “We had two eggs…” the merman cried against his Alpha.

Dean’s own guilt drowned his heart. “It wasn’t your fault.I wasn’t there to protect you and our-” His throat threatened to close on him as the emotions of his shared pain made it hard to swallow.

Castiel pulled back slightly to look at his mate, and shook his head. Dean’s own tortured gaze mirrored his own, and the merman kissed his Cecaelia’s cheeks softly. The Alpha retrieved his seaweed hackensack and brought it forth to offer it to Castiel. The Omega looked down at it and gasped as Dean’s tentacles carefully took out the three items it held. With trembling hands, Castiel took the two pieces of egg shells,sheer rust colors with a rough exterior, while the inside curve was smooth with multiple light bluish dots. Castiel let out a cry as he held the only two pieces of their offspring against his chest. Dean held Castiel tightly against him as the Omega cried and mourned the little ones taken from them before they even had a chance.

They stayed this way for a long time, neither willing to let the other go. Castiel looked up at his lover, who caressed his face lovingly. “I never had the chance to even tell you I had caught,” Castiel whispered, as his bottom lip trembled. Dean smiled softly at him as he watched a tear slide down Castiel’s beautiful face, and he kissed him gently.

“We know you can now. We will have more, and this time I won’t leave you, hunting traditions be damned,” Dean told him. He gained a small smile and a nod from his merman. One of the Cecaelia’s tentacles came up and handed Castiel the third item from the sack, while two other tentacles carefully took the broken egg shells from the Omega and delicately returned them to the sack.

Castiel smiled at the large pink pearl in his grasp. Somehow, it had survived the ransacking of their nest, and Dean had found it. He nuzzled the pearl and then kissed his Alpha.

“You are my precious jewel, Cas. Tell me the names of the ones who will pay for what they have done to our offspring, to you, to us. I will avenge us.” Dean’s voice had taken on a darkness to it. A ferocious and wrathful energy was now vibrating beneath his lover’s skin and in his tentacles. The Cecaelia were considered monsters of the ocean for a reason. Dean would no doubt rip apart anyone that was a threat to them. It was his Alpha nature, and Castiel was too heartbroken and devastated over the loss of their eggs, and what members of his own clan had done to him, to go against his Cecaelia’s savage and vengeful ways. The Omega nodded in a daze, strangely soothed by the fierceness in his mate’s conviction to punish the ones responsible.

  
  
**###**  
  
  
“Meg!”

Meg spun around in the sand, and saw Jo and Rufus making their way to her on the beach. She glanced back at the water, and spotted Sam still sitting calmly in the deeper shallow part of the sea, not wanting to dive in fully to give Dean and Castiel privacy while the glamour spell recharged.

“Hey! I’ve been calling you. The antique shop owner called me. She said Jimmy fainted out front of her shop, and some man came and took him with you,” Jo quickly stated as she reached her.

“Where is Jimmy? Is he okay,” Rufus asked, as he looked around and spotted the man sitting in the water.

Meg had no idea how to even start, when she saw both Jo and Rufus looking behind her with wide eyes. She spun around and found Sam coming out of the water. His massive dark copper- colored tentacles seemed to roll as he moved, and as he exited the water, the tentacles seemed to suddenly fuse together and within seconds, he had human legs. The trio turned their gaze away as the tall man slipped on jeans.

“Meg, who is that,” Jo asked.

“Where is Jimmy,” Rufus asked again, as Sam came closer.

Meg sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, and was thankful that the sun had started to set. “Jo, Rufus, this is Sam,” she started, as the three of them all nodded their hellos. “Jimmy’s real name is Castiel. Sam is Castiel’s lover’s brother.”

Jo looked at her with shocked, wide eyes as she tried to comprehend what in the hell she had just witnessed.

“Rufus…that name sounds familiar,” Sam murmured as he frowned. Meg turned to look at him suspiciously.

“How would Cecaelia know Rufus? He’s human,” she supplied, which made Rufus’ eyebrows shoot into his hairline.

“I’m gonna need some Johnnie Walker Blue for this shit, ain’t I?” the grumbling doctor guessed as he, too, was still trying to piece together what he had seen. Then again, it hadn’t been the first octopus man he had ever seen.

“One of our Eldest, Bobby, said he met a human named Rufus, a long time ago that had saved Karen from fishing nets, and he returned the favor. Karen is a giant sea turtle,” Sam supplied, as he looked over the man.

Rufus’ eyes went wide. He hadn’t even thought about that day in over thirty years. He had been fishing with a buddy. He had just moved to this town, and as they had gone out into the ocean, he had spotted something caught in fishing nets. As he got the boat closer, he realized it was a giant sea turtle trying to get out of the nets, only getting all the more tangled. Rufus had taken his knife and cut the net. All the while he tried to soothe the beautiful creature,that he wouldn’t hurt her. He remembered he had even introduced himself to the turtle. When he finally got her out, the turtle had accidentally bumped the small boat, and Rufus had fallen into the water right into the mess of nets. He had never felt fear like he had in that moment. No matter what he did, the nets had started to confine him, and he had started to sink into the deep blue sea.

He remembered looking over and seeing the turtle near him, and then there had been a man…and tentacles. Moss colored tentacles that suddenly ripped apart the nets, and human-like arms had helped him back into the boat, where his fishing buddy was passed out drunk. Rufus had turned back to look at the water, and found an older man with a beard and unusually rough looking skin.

_“Rufus, huh? Thanks for saving Karen,”_ the man had said, and Rufus had fainted when he saw the man dive back into the water with his tentacles.

“You’re one of those things?! I thought I had drank too much and imagined the whole thing.” The old doctor looked wild-eyed at Sam.

“We are Cecaelia, not things,” Sam corrected, feeling a bit irritated as the old man took a few steps back and sank down to sit in the sand.

“So is, um...Castiel...Cecaelia, too, or Merfolk like you,” Jo asked Meg quietly.

Meg smiled softly at her wife. “Castiel is Merfolk,his mate is Cecaelia.”

“The reason he was exiled,” Jo finished for her, as Meg nodded.

“Sam.” Everyone turned at the new voice.

Dean and Castiel were in the shallow waves of the beach. With the light diminishing, one could just make out Dean’s tentacles rolling about in the water while Castiel held on to him, his beautiful blue tail shimmering just below the water’s surface.

Sam started towards the water as Meg followed carefully, while Jo and Rufus stayed on the dry sand.

“I, um. Well, this wasn’t how I was hoping to introduce you two, but Sam, this is Cas, my pretty mate. Cas, this is my little brother,” Dean introduced, as Castiel’s cheeks pinked.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Cas. Dean had been raving about you all during the Hunts.” Sam nodded his hello.

“You as well, Sam. Dean speaks very highly of you,” Castiel smiled.

“So it’s Castiel and not Jimmy, then,” Meg asked, sporting a smirk, as Castiel’s bright blue eyes landed on her.

“Meg…” Castiel had no idea how to even begin explaining anything to the woman that had been his best friend, who had taken care of him and helped him adjust from day one since his ordeal.

His frustration and worry showed clearly on his face, and Meg took pity on him. She came into the water to reach him, mindful of Dean, who was watching her warily. Mating season was close, and Alphas acted all the more territorial with their mates. “When you washed up on shore with no ID, no clothes, and nothing to help anyone identify you, I knew you were Merfolk,” she started, and received a startled look from her friend as she took his webbed hand in her human one. “You knew nothing of the human world, and then, during the times when mating season would occur among our kind, you would suffer like I did, as an Omega merman would.” She looked at Castiel and gave him a knowing smile as he realized her meaning, while Dean cooed at him and nuzzled him, not having liked that Cas had suffered during the mating seasons without him.

“You’re…” The blue merman couldn’t seem to finish his phrase as he looked at his friend with renewed confusion.

“I, um, I was also exiled from my clan- the southern clan, for falling in love with a human.” Meg solidified the truth for him as she looked back at Jo, who smiled at them. “I assumed it had been the same for you, until now,” Meg finished, as she looked at Dean. She then spotted the massive pink pearl in Castiel’s other hand, which he held tightly against his person. It was most likely his mating gift from Dean, which explained the fascination with all the tiny pink pearls he had managed to find.

“So I believe this is goodbye,” Meg voiced quietly.

Castiel hugged her tightly. “I will visit you, I promise.”

“We would love that,” she added as she looked over at Jo, who nodded in agreement.

“I suppose I should address you properly, Castiel,” Rufus said, as he carefully made his way into the shallow water. “You were like a son to me. Scared me half to death when you would go into these flashbacks. I’m so relieved that you have your memory back…” he started, as he looked at the merman, with his scaled blue tail and an array of blue hued scales that decorated his stomach, shoulder, and his temples and forehead. His ears were pointed, and there were gills on his neck. “...and your true form back.“

“Thank you, Rufus, for everything you did for me.” Castiel hugged him with the help of Dean’s tentacles that moved him up and out of the water.

The old doctor nodded. “Those are no joke,” he murmured as he looked at Dean’s tentacles, seeming quite a bit freaked out by them.

Dean snorted. “You took care of my mate when I couldn’t. I owe you a debt.”

“How about you keep those away from me, and we’re good,” Rufus gruffed out, which made Castiel laugh as Dean smiled and nodded.

**End Chapter Nine**


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **~|~|~|~** indicates memories/flashbacks

**Cecaelia Territory, Deep Sea**

They had traveled for many moons to get back _home_. However, Castiel wasn’t sure where exactly that was now. As soon as they reached Cecaelia Territory, the currents changed, the waters were cool, and a pounding and humming chorus started, much like a warrior’s return was celebrated at the end of a campaign. As the Mermaid looked about, he could see Cecaelia chanting and drumming their tentacles against plate-like corals.

The Omega looked over at his mate, who was holding his hand. Dean smirked at him and wrapped one of his tentacles around Castiel’s waist. “They are letting the Elders know Sam and I have returned with a guest.” Castiel smiled at how unique and welcoming even the echoes in the currents of them water made him feel.

The surroundings were filled with stone structures with beautifully carved cave entries. Every single carving was covered in multiple types of coral that gave the territories a bright, yet dangerous, outlook for any unassuming prey to wander through.They would never see a Cecaelia coming. It was unassuming, and gave a false sense of safety that the Cecaelia easily used to their advantage. Castiel was impressed.

Dean brought him deeper into the enclave. The colony of the Cecaelia only seemed to grow deeper and much more secure. Anyone trying to invade, or a predator, would never be able to survive. Dean lured him into a cove, where the center opened into a massive gathering stoned berth. There were five Cecaelia awaiting them, stationed upon the higher positioned sitting stones.

“Dean! Sam!” An older blonde haired Cecaelia rushed towards them and took the brothers into a hug, their tentacles all intertwined except for the lone tentacle that Dean kept wrapped around Castiel's waist.

Another older male Cecaelia came forward, and awaited his turn in hugging the brothers.

“Mom, Dad, this is Castiel, my mate.” The Omega’s eyes went wide. These two were his mate’s parents. “Cas, my parents, Mary and John.”

“It's an honor to meet you both,” Castiel quickly voiced, as he smiled brightly.

“We’ve been looking forward to this meeting since the Warrior Hunts three senescences ago,” John stated as he looked over the Mermaid. Castiel tried his best not to feel intimidated. He was relatively small already as an Omega, but next to so many Cecaelia, he was tiny. Mary’s tentacles were a warm seaweed green, while John had a darker maroon red that was close to Dean’s own crimson.

“We are heartbroken over what happened to your offspring,” Mary whispered, as she leaned against her mate while they wrapped their tentacles around one another.

Castiel’s heart squeezed painfully at the reminder. Dean pulled him towards him, and wrapped his arms around him protectively,possessively.

“Well, then, it's good that Mating Season is upon us,” a new voice from behind Dean’s parents’ echoed, as a stunning, vibrantly colored Cecaelia came forth. Her tentacles were a bright byzantium, while her long flowing hair was a crab red. She exuded power. She turned and looked at Castiel and gave him a soft smile. “I’m Rowena. It is a pleasure to meet the Omega Mermaid that’s enchanted our best Warrior Hunter.”

Castiel blushed. “Thank you. It's an honor to meet you.” It was quite clear that Rowena was the Cecaelia Sorceress. The energy around her was charged.

“I take it the spell worked well,” she asked both Sam and Dean as she made alluring movements with her tentacles while keeping her gaze on Sam.

“Yes, thank you,” Sam replied for them both, as the tall Cecaelia and the Sorceress eyed each other hungrily. Castiel smirked. Well, then.

Rowena came intimately close to Sam who appeared quite receptive to her advances. Castiel looked back at Dean, who smiled knowingly at him, while Mary seemed irritated at the pair’s flirting.

“Mating Season is to start in a little while. Sam, I will see you at our special place,” Rowena announced. The large Cecaelia flushed, yet nodded his agreement before Rowena turned back to Castiel and floated over towards him. “Castiel, I hope you will feel welcomed here. We will have much to discuss after Mating Season, seeing as we will all be occupied. However, Dean, with your understanding, I would like to bring Castiel to meet someone. I’d like him to understand what his being here means, and what the possible war that will occur also means and entails. Have you decided how you wish to avenge the barbaric actions of the Merfolk towards your offspring?”

“You want him to meet Lorraine,” Dean voiced as he came to caress Castiel’s cheek, wanting to diminish the pain his mate felt towards their horrific loss. Rowena nodded at his statement. “I don’t want a pointless war that will kill hundreds for the actions of a few. Castiel has given me the names of the seven Merfolk responsible, and they will pay dearly by my hand,” he growled out. The sheer rage that pulsed through him made Castiel shiver.

Rowena smirked as John clasped Dean’s shoulder and nodded his approval.

“Wonderful. Now, Castiel, please come with me. I will return you safely to your mate’s den once we are finished with our visit,” the Sorceress informed them, as she inclined her head towards Castiel to follow.

The Mermaid hesitated and looked over at Dean. The Cecaelia brought him flush against him and kissed him before releasing him, silently nudging him towards Rowena.

They swam quietly as Castiel took in his surroundings. It was narrow at some curves of the rock structures, yet despite being in foreign territories of which horror stories had been sung to him since he had hatched, he felt welcomed among the Cecaelias he passed. Some looked at him with curiosity, some hid but peeked, while others stood by and gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

“Everyone here knows you are Dean’s. No one would dare act against him even if they weren’t accepting,” the Omega Cecaelia voiced with a smirk.

Castiel smiled at her. He had no idea that Dean was so highly regarded and known to his clan. Castiel barely knew anyone from his clan, and he had only been ‘famous’ when the Elders exiled him.

They turned around a beautiful display of coral, where hundreds of fish wandered about. Rowena moved through them, the colorful fish paying her no mind, and as Castiel moved to follow, they disbursed, making him frown.

Rowena smirked at him as he swam to follow. “Here we are, dearie,” she murmured, as movement from one of the hidden cave openings caught Castiel’s eyes.

A much older Cecaelia came into view. Castiel’s eyes widened as he saw a moray eel swirling among the weak looking tentacles of the elderly Cecaelia. It was helping the female come forward, and kept her steady as she carefully and slowly made her way to her guests. “You must be Dean’s mate, Castiel. We’ve all heard much about you. My name is Lorraine.”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you.” Castiel wasn't sure why he was here. After swimming for so long to get home, the Omega had only wanted to be tangled in Dean’s arms and tentacles. He knew meeting his mate’s clan was important, yet he couldn’t fathom what meeting this sweet-looking Cecaelia elder could be about.

Lorraine studied him and looked over his body and tail, the attention leaving him a bit unnerved. “You are quite beautiful, much like Anna was. I suppose it is in the nature of Merfolk Omegas to be pretty and exotic.”

Castiel frowned. Who was Anna? He also wasn’t sure how to feel about her complimenting him,if it was a compliment. The sadness in Lorraine’s tone confused him quite a bit.

“Do you know the story of the Omega Mermaid and the Alpha Cecaelia? The story of the horrible war last centennial,” the old Cecaelia asked as the eel curled in her tentacles, keeping its beady eyes trained on Castiel.

Of course he did. Every Merfolk born since had been told of the war and the evil monstrous Alpha Cecaelia warrior that had kidnapped the beautiful Omega Mermaid of the south clan. Some referred to her as a princess because of her beauty and importance. She was to mate with an Alpha from the North clan, Castiel’s clan, to cement a truce that would unite the clans.

Castiel nodded, unsure if he should say anything as the water around them took on a sad and pain-filled energy.

“That Alpha Cecaelia’s name was Asa. He was a savage and respected Warrior among our clan. He was kind, giving, and helped anyone and everyone that needed it. He was my son,” Lorraine stated.

The Merman’s eyes went wide with shock. The monster he and the other offspring were forever warned about, and the reason his kind forbade his mating with Dean…was her son?  
Lorraine smiled sadly at his reaction. “Asa’s only flaw was that he fell in love with an Omega Mermaid. He loved her something fierce.” She huffed a laugh as she remembered the past. “At the time, the Cecaelia and Merfolk were quite at odds. Territories and hunting fluxes were up for grabs, and both species wanted them. The two nearest Merfolk clans had decided to unite. Anna, an Omega of the south, was to wed an Alpha of the north, Zachariah.”

Zachariah? Castiel felt that he was going to be ill as his mind reeled at what she was saying.

“However, things did not go quite as planned. Asa and Anna had fallen in love. A chance meeting had turned into a fruitful romance between two species. They were young, not much younger than you and Dean. When the Merfolk found out Anna wanted to stop her mating to Zachariah, and when they discovered the reason, Zachariah wouldn't accept it. He managed to convince the clans that Asa had kidnapped Anna. The Merfolk sent out a platoon, and they ambushed Asa. Despite his best efforts, there were too many, and with the element of surprise, Anna was also murdered in the attack. Once again, Zachariah managed to convince them that Asa had killed her, and the war began.” The elderly Cecaelia was shivering, and had something in her fist that she kept over her heart.

Castiel, among many, had never been told the names or any kind of details beyond the monster Cecaelia taking an unwilling Omega Mermaid away from her intended. Tears swam in the blue Merman’s eyes. So many had suffered because of Zachariah. It went back so far. It was a war that had occurred over his bruised ego and the rejection of an intended mate that never felt the same; that had never wanted him, but had simply wanted to have a life with the Alpha she had loved, and an innocent Cecaelia Alpha whose mother, after all this time, still mourned him and hurt for him throughout her long life.

Lorraine reached forward, and Castiel came closer in order to keep the older Omega from swaying in the current. She took his hands, and Castiel felt the small round golden object in her hand that was linked to a thin piece of seaweed.

“Your union with Dean is a precious thing. I’m sorry for what happened to your eggs. I was in the meeting circle when Dean told the Elders, and said how he needed to find you,” she started, and took a deep humming breath as her trembling hands clasped in Castiel’s squeezed his slightly. “Dean is Alpha. He is one of this clan’s most prized and loved Savage Warriors. If you truly love him, you must respect the monstrous and furious side you have yet to witness, because you will, child. You will see it and feel it when he takes his revenge against Zachariah and the others that have hurt you and your offspring. Embrace his protective and vicious instincts.” Castiel nodded at her. Both Omegas had tears slowly falling down their cheeks. “I don’t know the details of what happened to you, or who did it, but I know it in every ancient part of this old body that Zachariah is behind it. I very much look forward to Dean destroying him. I’d like his severed head at the end of Dean’s halbert before I take my last breath. I deserve my revenge,and Dean will avenge your little ones that never got their chance. This is our way, Castiel.”

“I understand, and I promise. I love Dean, and I respect his nature. I know he will destroy the ones responsible, especially Zachariah. It’s true. He was the one to order my eggs to be slaughtered, he was the one to order my exile, and he stole my memories of Dean. He will pay for what he has done, to Asa and to us.” Castiel’s whole body was vibrating with a wrathful anger towards Zachariah, this evil merman who had destroyed the lives of others simply because they loved a Cecaelia instead of a Merfolk...instead of him. No, Castiel, too, wanted his revenge. It wasn’t in his nature to be so filled with rage, but he wouldn’t run from it. This was the Cecaelian way of justice, and Castiel was a Cecaelia’s mate. Therefore, Dean’s ways were now his.

  
  


“How was the visit with Lorraine?” Dean whispered against his neck. Rowena had brought the blue merman to Dean’s den just as she had promised. Castiel had attempted to look around the spacious cove. However, with the moon now up high, there was very little light to see anything. So Castiel took solace in being wrapped tightly in his Alpha’s arms. He nuzzled his Cecaelia lover’s chest and neck, and the urge to cover himself in his scent and touch started to intensify as the pulse of Mating Season reminded him that, despite the long travels and then meeting the elderly Cecaelia Omega, he wanted to forget it all for a little while and just be with Dean.

Three senescences had been stolen from him, time that he would never get back. Despite his friends on land and everything they had done for him, how they had protected him and looked after him, Castiel belonged and longed to be right where he was now, in Dean’s arms. It terrified him to know that he had been cursed to forget his lover, to forget what they had and who he was. He felt a desperate need to assuage that fear.

“Alpha.” Castiel sounded almost desperate, with a purr that left his lips as he mouthed kisses and nips all across the Cecaelia's neck and shoulder, making it abundantly clear he didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to think of others now in this moment, truly alone after much too long. He just wanted his Alpha to remind him exactly who he belonged to.

Dean growled against his neck as he started to nuzzle and suck bruises onto the soft skin near the Merman’s gills. Castiel moaned, making his tail whip up sand as the Cecaelia’s tentacles started their assault of his scales and skin. The Merman buried his webbed fingers into his lover’s short hairs, and pulled him up for a needy,filthy kiss.

“Need you,” the Omega whimpered between their heated kisses, as the Alpha’s tentacles started to wander towards his vulvas. The Merman’s sheaths had already started to open and reveal his most sensitive and tender parts as Dean’s tentacles began to tease him there. He cried out as Dean’s tentacles penetrated him at the same time as he pulled him in for a kiss. The tentacles thrust back and forth in a fast, maddening rhythm, making the Omega wild as the rest of Dean’s tentacles teased his fins and nipples.

“Gonna breed you so good,” Dean growled against him as he spun him around, carefully held by his powerful tentacles, and Castiel barely had a moment to ready himself before the Cecaelia’s massive phallus pushed into him and the Warrior started a ferocious pace, indeed breeding him with abandon. The Omega moaned and mewled in time to his Alpha’s every movement. He came in an almost blinding euphoric daze that tingled all the way down to the tips of his tail fins.

He trembled as his Cecaelia lover took him apart repeatedly until he blacked out.

**End Chapter Ten**


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **~|~|~|~** indicates memories/flashbacks

**Northern Merfolk Territory, Deep Sea**

Gabriel wasn’t sure what was going on, but whatever it was, it was _bad_. The Elders had been frantic for the past few moons, and wouldn’t say much to the Merfolk colony. Something had happened with Hester. Their Sorceress was heard shrieking and screaming moons ago, followed by some kind of shock wave that had rippled through the whole of the community and had woken up many with confused and worried kin. When some had asked the other Elders what had happened, they were all met with tight lips and subtle excuses about Hester not feeling well.

Of course, rumors had started when Hester remained reclusive, and only Zachariah and Naomi were allowed to visit her. Not even Charles was allowed to see her, which had only served to make Gabriel worry all the more. Out of the four Elders on the counsel, Charles was the only one remotely caring for their community. Many considered him the weak link because of his knack for sympathizing with whatever Merfolk was in need of something from the Council.

The golden tailed Omega decided it was safer for him to spend his free time with his dolphin friends, Garth and Balthazar. He had even taken to playing the pass the puffer fish game, which was a strange way for him to pass the time, but it kept him busy. He tried not to think of his brother. He missed Castiel dearly, and he prayed every waking moment to Mother Sea that he was alive and well.

After his one meeting with Castiel’s mate, the terrifying and grief stricken Cecaelia Alpha, he hadn’t heard anything about him. Not that he had any way to, truly. Cecaelia Territories were frightening, and their outer parameters were frequented by great whites and other aggressive sharks. It wasn’t safe, especially for Omegas,yet he couldn’t stop thinking about Castiel. He wished he could have seen his brother with his mate, seen him truly happy. However, he also wondered how he would have actually reacted if Castiel had confided in him about his secret lover. Gabriel wondered about their eggs, and how the little ones would have looked with mixed species parents. The Omega smiled sadly. He knew Castiel would have made a wonderful mama. His brother had always carried such a fierce love inside of him that was bound to be meant for his offspring. Many Merfolk Alphas had seen that light in Castiel, and many had tried to get his attention, but to no avail. Castiel had never shown so much as an inkling of interest in mating or any kind of romantic intimacy with a Merfolk Alpha. He supposed it was because Mother Sea had plans for Castiel to be with a Cecaelia Alpha instead.

Gabriel made his way towards the colony’s gathering circle. Many of the Merfolk had started to congregate there. Something in the water was inciting them all to rally. Something had been provoking the Alphas, mainly, and of course, Omegas followed. They were in the middle of Mating Season, and yet, no one was able to stay calm or in their coves to breed. There was too much of a stir among the Merfolk. There was a sense of unease since Hester’s screams, and it left the rest of the Merfolk on edge to understand. Illnesses were not a common occurrence, especially for a powerful Sorceress. The colony depended on her to keep them safe from threats, especially wandering humans that could get too close to their home.

As he came to a stop just by the outer circle, many in attendance were speaking in small groups. The water was filled with distressed and worried scents. Suddenly, there was chanting coming from the Elder Council's meeting cove. Gabriel frowned. Charles stood at the center of other Merfolk just as a song the Omega had never heard before drifted on the current. It sounded angry…and desperate.

**Cecaelia Territory, Deep Sea**

The Elders, John, Henry, Bobby and Rowena were all in agreement. However Dean chose to proceed, they would support him. Karen had just settled herself upon her rock as Dean swam into the meeting cove, his Omega Castiel holding on to his left arm. The pretty Mermaid was flushed. It being Mating Season, the Elders had been quite surprised when Karen had come to fetch them for this impromptu meeting requested by the Alpha Warrior. None of them had imagined he would want to leave his cave with his mate anytime soon.They knew if Dean called this conference, it was of importance.

“I apologize for pulling everyone from their mating time, but I felt this was the best time for what I have in mind,” Dean started, as Castiel looked up at him quite dazed. The poor Omega was in a mating haze, while the Alpha seemed to be struggling between his emotions and needs. Dean exuded arousal mixed with rage.

“Yes, well, some of us are not in our prime, so out with it,” Rowena growled out as she gazed over at Sam, who now rested a few feet from his brother.

Dean nodded. He did feel bad for interrupting, but he had reasons. “I need to uphold my honor and take my revenge. I cannot be fully present for my Omega and his needs until I release this wrath upon the ones responsible for hurting him and for slaughtering our offspring.”

The strong scent of Omegas in heat was swirling in the waters. Castiel, Rowena and Mary, who was behind John with two of their tentacles intertwined, were all flushed, and seemed a bit dazed during the interval. It caused all five Alphas present to be a bit aggressive, yet they each held themselves back. Dean was vibrating in place while Castiel caressed his arm to soothe him.

“Castiel has named seven Merfolk responsible for our eggs’ destruction. Zachariah, Hester, Naomi, Anael, Alistair, Gordon, and Ruby. Three are Elders, and Hester is their Sorceress,” Dean started.

“Yes, I am _familiar_ with Hester.” Rowena gave an eerie and sinister smile at the mention. “You won’t have to worry about her.” All eyes turned to her as her eyes glowed amethyst and focused on Castiel. “When Dean found you, it set off her spell. The object of, or really, the reason for her spell’s success was in keeping you away from him and out of the sea. She tried to remove him from your mind, but couldn’t from your heart. She clearly hadn’t counted on him setting out to find you and bring you back here, where you belong with your Alpha. Once Dean found you and brought you back into the water, Mother Sea wasn’t going to let one of her most precious creatures suffer in her oceans.”

Castiel had wondered how the spell had been broken. He nuzzled against Dean’s arm, once again deeply thankful to his love for never giving up on finding him. Dean hummed and kissed the top of his head.  
“You telling us you had nothing to do with breaking the spell,” Bobby gruffed at her with an arched brow, and crossed his arms expectantly.

Rowena smiled. “A lady never tells all of her secrets. However, I did seize the opportunity, during her shocked and weakened state, to visit her, shall we say? I sensed her outrage, and then she left herself wide open for me to break her.”

The Cecaelia Sorceress was not someone to trifle with, clearly, and Castiel was ever more thankful that this frightening, yet undeniably kind race had welcomed him because one of their own had fallen in love with him.

“Son, what is your plan?” John brought the focus back onto Dean, who was physically twitching in place as he held in his self control.

“I want to take a small entourage with me, my most trusted. Karen to report, and Rowena, if you could attend. I plan to capture the seven, and if they do not surrender peacefully, I will bring them to the Blood Waters to be _prepared_ for a slow and torturous death,” Dean growled out. Karen as well as Rowena nodded their confirmations to go with him.

The Blood Waters were an extremely dangerous section of the Cecaelia territories. They used it to bring punishment to anyone, usually from their clan, that broke their laws or were deemed rogue and a risk for their safety, and therefore had to be taken care of.

“I want to be there. I want to witness,” Castiel voiced softly.

Dean turned to his mate and caressed his cheek. “Cas, this will not be a civil conversation. I will not be polite and gentleman like. I will _murder_ these Merfolk, and I will take pleasure in it and in avenging our little ones,” the Cecaelia started, as he frowned and looked at his beautiful mate with a soft and adoring gaze. “I don’t want to scare you. I couldn’t bear it if you were suddenly repulsed by me or terrified of me.”

Castiel’s gaze quickly looked over to Rowena, who arched a brow at him as he remembered Lorraine’s words. _‘If you truly love him, you must respect the monstrous and furious side you have yet to witness, because you will, child. You will see it and feel it when he takes his revenge against Zachariah and the others that have hurt you and your offspring. Embrace his protective and vicious instincts.’_

Castiel placed his hand over Dean’s on his cheek. “I love you, all of you, and I need to see, feel, and sense all of you. Your savage side is part of you. I want to see you destroy the ones who took our babies.” Tears filled Castiel’s eyes as he spoke. “You are Cecaelia, a Warrior, a monster, a ferocious and wrathful creature, and most importantly, you are my mate. My Alpha as I am your Omega. Take me with you.”

Dean smiled at him. The honor he felt in the conviction of his lover’s words pulsed in the waters around them. The Alpha brought his Omega’s face to his, and kissed him tenderly as he deepened the kiss possessively.

**Northern Merfolk Territory, Deep Sea**

“Gabriel!” The Merman turned to find his two dolphin friends, Garth and Balthazar, slightly hidden behind the coral covered edge of a sand cove. He frowned as he swam towards them to make sure no one spotted the duo. As friendly as dolphins were, the Elders never cared to have other species of Mother Sea wandering in colony territories.

“What are you guys doing here,” he questioned, as he noticed their worried gazes.

“Something is coming. The fish are all fleeing at high speeds, and even sharks are staying clear. Whatever it is, it's coming here, and the currents feel dangerous.” Just as Balthazar finished the words, warnings sounded from the Sentries at the borders. The horns’ sounds were long and deafening at the alarming urgency swirling in the water.

Gabriel turned back towards the gathering. Everyone was on edge, impossibly silent. All movement ceased as each Merfolk looked towards the sounding horns. Fear was potent in the water as the Omegas hid behind their Alphas while all eyes and attention was towards the western borders. Gabriel spotted Naomi emerging from Hester’s cave, helping the Sorceress swim out as Zachariah and his four trusted helpers, Anael, Ruby, Alistair and Gordon, came rushing out of the Elder’s meeting cove. Zachariah was wide eyed and just as confused at what this could all mean, while Naomi struggled to keep Hester awake.

The sounding horns abruptly stopped,as if they had been taken from the Sentries sounding them. Sheer dread and panic swirled among the Merfolk as they all remained motionless ,their gazes held fast to the west. The mere moments of silence felt as if an eon passed. No one dared to move or speak.

Then, up high in the depths over the Merfolk, a shimmery blue hue started to come into focus as the intruder came closer.

“Castiel?” Gabriel heard their brother Michael gasp out quietly, as a small wave of hushed and hurried murmurs among the Merfolk started. As Castiel came into focus, Gabriel took him in. He looked well and healthy. He was Merman, and not human as Hester had cursed him to be, and Gabriel couldn’t see any of the wounds the helpers had left upon him, only the large mating bite at his neck.

Zachariah growled. The Elder was clearly about to swim forward and say something, however just as he made to move, behind Castiel there was motion. The Elder visibly paled as tentacles were seen swirling through the water.

Cecaelia… _many_ of them, all Alphas that created a wall behind Castiel, dwarfing him with their bulk. The Merfolk were surrounded, and if the Cecaelia were here to wage war, there was no possible way for the Merfolk to survive.

Gabriel watched wide-eyed as the Cecaelia came into full view. He spotted Dean then as he came up behind Castiel and wrapped two of his tentacles gently around the Mermaid. He kissed his temple and then his mating bite that stood out proudly on the Omega’s neck. Then the Alpha swam forward. Another Cecaelia did as well, just to the side of the Warrior. The Cecaelia was smaller than the other behind them, an Omega, and was slightly glowing an amethyst color that made the water around the perimeter feel volcanic.

Dean made a wave with his hand, and two Alpha Cecaelia came forth and threw down three restrained Merfolk Sentries before the Merfolk Elders. Quiet shocks and murmurs rang throughout the community. The Sentries were tied with seaweed to keep them immobile, but they hadn’t been hurt otherwise.

“We are here to collect the ones responsible for the murder of _my_ offspring with my mate. The same ones that tried to kill him as well--kill _my Omega.” Dean’s voice boomed over the terrified Merfolk. The Alpha’s eyes glowed a frightening crimson as his rage and ire filled the water with a potent and chilling aura. He was met with silence, and the Cecaelia Warrior smiled. It was eerie, displaying sharp teeth and the promise of wrath none of the cowering Merfolk were ready for. “You have _one__ chance to give me the seven I will name. If you do not willingly turn them over to me, you will give me no reason to honor and spare any of you from my fury,” he warned, as the Merfolk had already started to distance themselves from Zachariah. “Naomi, Hester, Gordon, Anael, Ruby, Alistair and Zachariah.”

“How dare you! You have no right to demand anyth--” Zachariah’s rant was cut short as Dean surged forward in a speed no Merfolk had ever seen, nor thought possible. He captured the overweight Mermaid and shoved seaweed into his mouth while the Cecaelia’s tentacles moved at alarming speeds and secured him before others could even blink. Zachariah’s helpers rushed towards them, but were met with the Warrior’s powerful tentacles and restrained as well. Sam came forward then, and helped Dean with the four helpers.

“Cas, which ones am I missing,” Dean asked, as he kept his attention on the struggling five Merfolk.

“Castiel! How can you allow this? You brought the Monsters into our colony,” Naomi screamed in anger, as Hester stayed limp against her.

The blue Omega Merman swam forward slowly, yet kept his distance. “You are the monsters. You slaughtered my offspring. Your lives for theirs is only right. You tried to keep me from my mate. You are the monsters,” Castiel stated, as he looked over his kin, who were all watching him in confusion. “Naomi and Hester are the ones left,” he added.

Charles looked up at Castiel, his eyes sad and worrisome as another Cecaelia came to secure Naomi and Hester. Naomi struggled, while Hester was still in a weakened state and barely registered what was happening. “What happens now? We only wish to live peacefully,safely,” Charles spoke up.

Castiel glared at him as Dean looked him over. “Do you know the truth behind the war between our kinds so long ago?” the Cecaelia questioned. Zachariah tried to talk and scream in his agitated rage as he wiggled against the restraints.

“One of your Cecaelia Warriors kidnapped--” Charles started as he frowned. He then saw the glow in Dean’s eyes intensify, and he stopped his reply. The Alpha Merman looked over the whole of the colony gathered and looking to him for strength and assurance. He then gazed over at Zachariah and Naomi before his eyes trailed over Castiel, and then settled on the massive Cecaelia before him. “I'd like to know the truth. I feel we all deserve to know why our species tried to destroy each other, and too many lost their lives.” Confusion was quite clear among the Merfolk. The stories of the wars had been instilled into all Merfolk since they took their first swim. Cecaelia Monsters had taken an Omega from the south clan, who was meant to mate with one of their Alphas of the north clan to unite them. A tragic story of an Omega taken away from her intended. Now, with the very monsters surrounding them, their apparent Warrior leader mated to one of their very own Omega Mermaids…it left a multitude of questions among the people in attendance.

“Do you know who the intended Alpha for the Omega was from your clan,” Dean asked. Charles looked around and then at his captive fellow Elders. Zachariah wouldn’t look at him.

“No. Their name has been lost over the many tellings. It never seemed important before,” Charles replied truthfully.

“The name of the Omega from the south clan was Anna. Anna fell in love with a Cecaelia Alpha Warrior, just as I have,” Castiel started, as he floated slightly closer. “His name was Asa. The Alpha Mermaid that Anna had been intended for was our very own Zachariah.” Suddenly the water was teeming with gasped and shocked murmurs of the Merfolk, all in an uproar. “Zachariah wouldn’t and couldn’t accept that his intended had broken their union to be with an Alpha she loved instead, an Alpha of a different species. Zachariah had them both murdered, blamed Anna’s death on Asa, and the war started.”

The Merfolk were in full cry. Disbelief and outrage swirled in the waters as the community tried to understand that one of their own, one that had been elected to protect them, had caused a war that had resulted in too many of their brothers and sisters perishing over his wounded pride and bruised ego.

“What you decide to do among yourselves is of no consequence to me. However, I promise you that Zachariah will die today. You can select one of your trusted to witness it if you so choose. My wrath is reserved for those seven, and no one else of the Merfolk,” Dean voiced as he started towards Castiel and the other stoic, awaiting Cecaelia Warriors behind him. With the seven secured and in their tentacles, Dean had no reason to stay in the Merfolk territories any longer.

“I volunteer to witness the death of the murderer who killed our sister from the south clan.” Everyone turned to see Gabriel, Castiel’s favorite brother, swim forward. Gabriel locked eyes with Charles, who nodded his approval, before he looked over to Castiel.

The Omega was relieved to have Gabriel coming along. He had always looked after him since they were just tiny things. Dean had also told him how Gabriel had braved the Cecaelia territories to tell him what had happened to him. He wasn’t sure what the future held for his family, or for the Merfolk, but he no longer wanted to hold that upon his shoulders. His life was with Dean in Cecaelia territories.

**End Chapter Eleven**


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _~|~|~|~_ indicates memories/flashbacks
> 
> WARNING: Explicit violence/death/gore

**The Blood Waters**

The Blood Waters were a chilled and eerie graveyard of multiple sunken human ships. The area was infested with great whites, tiger sharks, sea snakes and great barracuda. It was vast and hauntingly frightening with the remains of structures left all throughout, with fierce and dangerous creatures lurking about.

The group of Cecaelia Warriors escorted Castiel, Gabriel and Karen safely between them as they dragged the restrained seven Merfolk along. The waters were silent, and the currents clearly indicated they were not alone, yet they couldn’t see any predators.

Dean made a gesture, and seven of the Cecaelia Warriors each brought the prisoners forward and secured them to wooden poles that stood straight up out of the sand. There were quite a few of them, and most had clean bite indications all over them. Dean swam around each of them. He radiated rage, and Castiel wondered if it was why the other dangerous creatures that resided in the Blood Waters kept their distance. The Cecaelia’s tentacles could suddenly strike out at alarming speeds, and Castiel noticed Dean had stunned Anael, Gordon and Ruby with his poisonous suckers. The three of them screamed, the sounds echoing and luring other predators. The Omega watched as Dean did the same to Hester, Naomi and Alistair, and witnessed it as their scales started to darken, as if they were rotting.

The Alpha swam between them, enjoying their pain as he then settled before Hester, who glared at him even in her deteriorating state. Dean smiled at her, a terrifying sight as his sharp teeth glistened and his eyes glowed. Before she could utter a word, four of his tentacles wrapped firmly around her, almost covering the whole of her, and he started to _squeeze._ The once powerful Sorceress screamed until Dean crushed her. The sounds of her bones and her skeletal form breaking and cracking was sickening as blood spilled from her mouth, nose and eyes. Her body went slack when Dean removed himself from her. Only the shackles that held her to the wooden pool held her up.

Castiel covered his mouth. The sight was terrifying, and yet he knew Dean held him gently and lovingly with those same powerful tentacles. The other prisoners started to cry, and wriggled against the seaweed wraps in the vain hope of getting free. Dean never spoke a word as he repeated the punishment to Anael, Ruby, Gordon and Alistair. Their mixed blood drifted into the current, and other predators interested in the blood started to wander closer. The Cecaelia Warriors made a closer circle around Castiel, Gabriel and Karen, ready to keep them safe.

“Please...please have mercy,” Naomi started to cry, as Dean circled her.

“Mercy? Is that what you did for our eggs? Mercy,” Dean growled out, outraged at her hypocrisy. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you and Zachariah see your attackers coming.” His words caused her eyes to go wide as she trembled in the restraints, and she looked over at Zachariah who was just a few feet away from her. Then Dean’s tentacles came up and secured another seaweed around her neck and the wooden pole to keep her head from slouching down. Then one tentacle wrapped around Naomi's tail and started to squeeze, making her scream. She was immobile as he turned her tail into a crushed heap. She continued to scream and cry at the pain as Dean drifted over to Zachariah.

“Asa’s mother would love your head, but it's too repulsive. I’ll take your caudal fins instead.” And as Dean spoke the words, he took his halberd and sliced off the old Merman’s fins. He shoved them into a sack as Zachariah growled and clenched his jaws to keep from screaming. Dean smiled at him. The old bastard wanted to appear strong? Well, Dean was going to change that. Dean tied Zachariah’s head to the wooden pole with seaweed around his neck and forehead, and then two of his tentacles each took one of the Merman’s arms and _pulled_. Zachariah screamed and wailed. His voice boomed and echoed until Dean yanked his arms out of their sockets.

Castiel turned to hide his face against Gabriel’s shoulder, unable to fully stomach the sight and scent of blood as he caressed his stomach. The Omega looked down and realized how _swollen_ his abdomen was, and a smile graced his face as he caressed his bump. He had caught again after only a few nights of mating. His joy bloomed and gained a curious frown from Gabriel. The brothers had barely had a moment to catch up, but both knew with Castiel’s return, that they would have plenty of time after Mating Season. The Omega shook his head for him not to worry as the sounds of crushing bones sounded from Zachariah.

Dean turned Zachariah’s tail into a scale sack that held nothing but powdered bones. And as the blood flowed all around the victims now, everyone in attendance went into high alert. The Cecaelia roared, and it was deafening and powerful in its rage. Within seconds, Dean and the other Cecaelia Warriors rushed Castiel and the others towards a side cove, and they covered the whole of them with sand, their tentacles going into overdrive. They were all completely hidden as a great school of barracuda torpedoed right towards Zachariah and Naomi. One opened its jaws and went straight for the Alpha Merman’s screaming face. Seconds later, three massive great whites started to circle the feasting barracuda, who had been gorging themselves on the seven prisoners. There were no longer any sounds in the water. There was only blood and chunks of flesh, scales and meat floating around, making the sharks close in until one decided it was hungry enough to snap its jaws onto Hester’s torso, and it tugged her from the pole to swim off with.

Castiel was now back in Dean’s arms, and he buried his face against him. His monster had avenged them. Castiel had never felt more safe and content as his mate’s tentacles gently caressed him and held him while they waited for the feeding frenzy to end so they could all safely leave the Blood Waters.

**Cecaelia Territory, Deep Sea**

After delivering the caudal fin of her son’s murderer to Lorraine and holding the elderly Omega Cecaelia as she wept in relief, Dean promptly brought Castiel home to his cave. The Omega had been smiling at him wickedly since they had left the Blood Waters, and Dean wasn’t sure what had his beautiful mate so elated.

The Cecaelia Warrior had released all of the rage and wrath he had been harboring since the day he had found Castiel missing and their eggs slaughtered. The pressure that had settled onto his shoulders for so long had been lifted. Dean felt he could finally enjoy his reunion with Castiel, and give him all of his attention as he deserved. They could focus on healing together, work on their cave, and the Alpha could show off his gorgeous Omega to the rest of his clan.

Castiel looked up at his lover, who was softening the sand piles in his cave to make his Omega comfortable. The blue merman couldn’t stop smiling. Dean had gone on for three senescences, determined to find him and bring him safely home. His Alpha had destroyed the ones that had torn them apart and that had taken their little ones away before they could even take their first swim. Now, they could finally live peacefully. Castiel never had to worry about losing Dean again.

The Merfolk would be electing new Elders. Charles would stay on, while Gabriel had been suggested by others in the colony who stated that his bravery in volunteering to witness the executions merited him a strong mind. They were looking for two others.

Castiel watched as Dean carefully, and with quick and precise movements with his tentacles, crafted a small, solid hollow. The Cecaelia gave his love a soft smile as he retrieved the two pieces of the egg shells that remained from their slaughtered little ones, and diligently placed them there as a memorial for them. As Dean drifted back and kept his sad eyes upon them, Castiel kissed his shoulder and then took his pink mating pearl out of the same sack and placed it in the center of the two pieces of shells.

The Omega turned back to his mate and truly looked at his Alpha. This strong, savage creature that loved him fiercely, and had gone through the risks of exposing himself and their people to the humans for a chance to find him. Castiel had been cursed to forget him,to forget those emerald green eyes that shone so brightly with adoration and love solely for him. He couldn’t count the times while human that he had looked over the oceans, and the unnatural fear that Hester had planted into his mind, which had almost forever kept them apart…but Dean had refused to give him up, to give _them_ up.

Two of Dean’s tentacles came up and caressed his cheeks, letting the tiny suckers leave teasing kisses. Castiel swam into his mate’s arms, and nuzzled his chest and neck.

“I caught, Alpha,” Castiel whispered between them, with a wicked and glee filled grin.

Dean looked down at him with wide, surprised eyes, and then his gaze trailed down lower to the Omega’s already swollen stomach. Dean surged forward and kissed him hungrily as he wrapped all ten of his tentacles around his pregnant lover and let them slowly drift down into the sands.

**End**

**Author's Note:**

> IF YOU SEE ANY OF MY STORIES ON WATTPAD UNDER ANOTHER AUTHOR NAME BESIDES MY OWN (XHARUKA17X), **IT IS NOT ME!**. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY ABOUT THIS PERSON STEALING MY STORY. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE ALREADY. PLEASE COMMENT ON MY STORY OR CONTACT ME ON xharuka17x.tumblr.com. THANK YOU


End file.
